Zuma won’t stop working after handing over ANC reins

President Jacob Zuma will lead the ANC’s political education and fight escalating gate-keeping and manipulation of internal processes during the party elective conferences when his term ends in December.

Zuma was speaking at Praktiseer, Burgersfort, in Limpopo yesterday. In a speech pre-empting his exit as ANC president in December, Zuma said he felt political education was critical in the ANC.

“When I step down after the elections, I will not rest on my laurels.

“I am going to go to every branch of the ANC in South Africa to lead the party’s programme on political education,” said Zuma to thunderous applause from more than 10 000 people at the Dr CN Phatudi College.

“Our comrades must learn to elect people based on merit and not because of the amount of money he or she can afford to buy votes,” he said. “We want you to elect people who have a track record of doing well for the movement and who have the ability to take the movement to greater heights.

“We need to elect comrades who will be the first to arrive in a community to a family that faces bereavement. A leader who will be the first to arrive on the scene when a community faces a crisis.”

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According to Zuma, part of his role when his term ends later this year is to improve branches of the ANC. He said the party’s biggest task before 1994 was to liberate black people from the bondage of apartheid.

Post-1994, the focus changed to building the ANC.

“We therefore encourage all members of the ANC to conduct themselves in a manner that will compel members of other political organisations to join the ANC.

“Your public appearance and your conduct will help bring more members to the ANC,” he said.

Zuma said he believed the ANC stood a good chance of winning the 2019 general election by a huge margin.

After a dismal performance in the local government elections last year, where the ANC lost some of the major cities in the country, Zuma said all branch members must play a prominent role in community-based structures such as churches, clinics and sports committees.

Zuma also told the rally that the time for the ANC succession debates was still some time away. He pleaded with members to be patient and wait for the official opening of the succession debate before throwing around names for his successor.

– news@citizen.co.za