AT the closing address of the ANC’s elective conference in the Eastern Cape yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country has been severely hit, with hundreds of lives lost and the unemployment rate at an all-time high.

The goal, according to Ramaphosa, is to accelerate economic and infrastructure recovery.

“We’ve had all these devastating events descending on us. On a fragile economy, on a population that has high unemployment rate and poor,” he said.

However, according to the presidency, this is a duty that has been placed on the shoulders of the ANC.

“It is up to us to identify means, needs, and solutions to guide our people through these difficulties,” he added.

At the conference, Oscar Mabuyane, the ANC’s Eastern Cape chairperson, endorsed Ramaphosa for a second term as party leader ahead of the party’s elective conference in December.

He told delegates that Ramaphosa has shown courage in moving through with the ANC’s renewal, stating that no other leader has taken that risk before.