MBOMBELA – President Jacob Zuma has encouraged ANC members in the province to accept money from opposition parties in their quest to garner more votes, but warned not to render them the votes, but vote for the ANC instead.
“I know that they do offer money because they have loads of it. Take it, report to your branch chairpersons and buy goodies for your families.
If they give you too much of it, then share it among your comrades. It is very important to report such acts of bribery because if you don’t do that, it will begin to confuse you and end up voting wrongly,” he stated to much laughter from the more than
1 000 voting delegates who attended the 12th Elective Conference of the provincial ANC.
Zuma was accompanied by members of the ANC’s National Executive Committee that included Mr David Mahlobo, Mr Siyabonga Cwele, Ms Reginah Mhaule, among others.
He went further and congratulated the province for holding a successful conference from Friday to Sunday.
The outcome saw the re-election of Mr David Mabuza as chairperson unopposed.
Another returnee to the provincial top five was Ms Violet Swela as deputy chairperson ousting Mr David Dube.
Mr Mandla Ndlovu is the provincial secretary, replacing
Mr Lucky Ndinisa.
Ms Lindiwe Ntshalintshali is the deputy secretary and Mr Vusi Shongwe is the new provincial treasurer.
“I want to thank you for a successful conference that assessed what was implemented since the last conference and identified what was not done. It is the duty of the new executive to map the way forward in bettering people’s lives.
They should ensure that communities have electricity, water, houses, jobs and many other services.
It is at conferences that the highest decisions are taken. It is also only at conferences at national level, whereby, amendments to the constitution can be debated and implemented.
Now the task is up to the executive committee to implement the resolutions agreed upon here.
“That task will also be brought down to the branches to implement at ground level. This also brings to mind that our councillors should really work hard among communities and not be egoistic and be above the people that they are supposed to serve.
They should be the ones greeting people, attend funerals, weddings and be of assistance to communities because they are in the front line.
“If they don’t attend funerals and weddings, they will say the ANC wasn’t there.
When they attend, they should greet and shake hands with people and ask them about their problems.
That is the task of every ANC member to show much care about communities because the ANC was founded by the people, hence we are a people’s movement.
“As we go to the local government elections next year, let’s be vigilant and rally around all communities and make sure we win as many municipalities as possible. From you Mpumalanga, I am expecting more votes than at the last elections,” he added.
Referring to Mabuza’s appeal to former members of the executive that they should take their replacement in good spirit, Zuma said, “Contestations for positions are not new in the ANC. They are as old as the organization itself.
There is no place where there are no differences and differing views, but when the conference is over, you re-group and work together.
“It is important that a conference must bring about unity as this conference has done in this province.
I’m happy to hear Mabuza that they will fix their problems with their alliance partners, the SACP. We commend that move and we will support it at all costs. From now, henceforth, our focus is working on the local government elections as a unit.
“We must make it a habit to be with the masses, not only at election time because as a ruling party, we have a mandate to deliver unto our communities.
That is a task for all members of the organization so that we are always in the minds of the people on a daily basis,” he ended before singing two of his popular revolutionary songs,
“Yinde lendlela” and “Umshini wami.”
