It is a great pleasure to welcome all delegates to this 53rd National
Conference of the African National Congress, taking place at the birthplace
of the ANC, Mangaung.
Present here are 4,500 delegates representing thousands of branches,
located across the length and breadth of our country.
The ANC has grown phenomenally since the last three conferences.
In 2002 at the Stellenbosch conference membership stood at 416 846. In 2007
at the 52nd National Conference in Polokwane, the total membership was
621 237 members.
It has now grown to 1 220 057 audited members in good standing, thus
meeting the directive of the 1942 conference, that the ANC should have one
million members. The ANC remains very popular with the masses of our
people, not only to vote for it, but to join it as members.
Comrades,
Today, the 16th of December is the day on which the ANC launched the
people’s army, Umkhonto Wesizwe in 1961.
In the free and democratic South Africa, we mark the 16th as the National
Day of Reconciliation, a day of promoting unity, social cohesion,
forgiveness and a non-racial society.
We salute all generations of MK many of whom sacrificed their youth for the
struggle for liberation.
We pay tribute in particular to Isithwalandwe President Mandela, the first
commander-in-chief of MK, who is currently hospitalised in Pretoria. He is
receiving good care from a competent and caring medical team. We wish him
and family all the best during this time.
Comrades,
We are coming to the end of our exciting centenary programme.
The Polokwane conference mandated us to mobilize the vast majority of our
people to take part fully in the ANC centenary celebrations.
Working together with all our structures, we carried out this mandate with
great pride.
We are proud to report to this conference that the centenary celebrations
were a great success.
They have left an indelible mark in the memories of the vast majority of
our people here at home and abroad.
The most important achievement of these celebrations was the realisation of
just how much the ANC is deeply rooted amongst the people of South Africa
and what it means to them.
These celebrations revealed to us that the ANC remains the only hope for
the poor and marginalized.
We saw those who were disillusioned becoming reenergized and reaffirming
their support and pledging their participation in the ANC's cause for
fundamental social transformation.
We discovered that the ANC is way bigger than its membership figures. It is
actually loved by many more people who stand for progressive change.
We are truly proud of our movement.
Comrades,
We meet five years after that watershed conference in Polokwane.
This 53rd Conference is of great significance, occurring as it does at the
beginning of the decisive second phase of our long transition from
Colonialism of a Special Type to a National Democratic Society.
The theme of Conference, which is *Unity in Action towards Socio-Economic
Freedom,* launches us to press ahead with the task of radically
transforming our society.
*ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW*
Today we reflect on the road travelled since 2007, in both organisational
work and that of the ANC in government.
The Polokwane conference was unique in its own way. It re-affirmed the ANC
as a strategic centre of power to provide leadership to the state and
society as a whole.
In this context one of the most tangible achievements was the reaffirmation
that power lies with branches, thus emphasising as well the need to
capacitate the branches with resources so that they can function optimally.
Polokwane also reaffirmed the Freedom Charter as a strategic document, and
charted the way forward for us to change the ANC and its government for the
better.
The road to Polokwane was full of divisions and turbulence. It was
necessary therefore that we begin healing the organisation and working for
unity immediately after the conference.
The leadership of the ANC criss-crossed the country speaking to and working
with structures of the movement.
Some successes were scored while some provinces and regions still face
pockets of factionalism and divisions.
The renewal includes rebuilding ANC branches, the basic units of our
movement. We need to ensure that branches are genuine and have genuine
members.
This means that our audit and verification of membership procedures should
be improved so that only branches in good standing determine the policy and
leadership direction of the organisation.
In some instances, some branches contain members who belong to other
members.
Other alien tendencies to be eliminated from the movement as part of
renewal is the negative lobbying for positions which includes smear
campaigns in the media as well as gossip and rumour-mongering about one
another.
Also common are the disrespectful public spats as well as hurling insults
at other comrades or members of the public, thereby bringing the ANC into
disrepute.
More seriously, we have experienced the shocking occurrences where armed
comrades disrupt ANC meetings.
This then raises the question what exactly could be so much at stake, that
people would go so far to get their own way in the organisation.
We condemn the use of violence, and strongly condemn the killings of ANC
leaders including the ANC Dr Kenneth Kaunda regional secretary in North
West, Comrade Obuti Chika. We condemn the killing of other comrades in
other provinces as well, earlier in the year.
Comrades, we must also frown upon other alien practices such as the use of
money to buy the support of ANC members. We should not allow a situation
where those who have money turn members of the ANC into commodities.
Comrades the ANC should also revisit this matter of people who take the ANC
to court when they are unhappy with a particular decision. Some comrades do
this even before exhausting internal processes. It is totally unacceptable.
All these tendencies have been creeping into the movement gradually, and
need to be dealt with.
The National General Council in 2010 drew the line on ill-discipline.
It said; *“The NEC in particular and all structures in general need to act
with firmness, fairness and consistency in enforcing Rule 25 of the ANC
Constitution. There should be no confusing signals and messages from the
leadership on matters of discipline”,* said the NGC.
Acting on the mandate of the NGC and informed by the Constitution of the
ANC, the leadership dealt with some cases of ill-discipline and some
members were expelled and others were suspended.
The lapses in organisational discipline indicate that the incoming NEC
would need to prioritise political education. There is no need to wait for
a formal ANC political school building before we start!
The renewal and rebuilding also applies to the Leagues of the ANC and the
Alliance.
Historically, both the Youth League and the Women’s League have played an
important role in the life of the African National Congress. Their role
remains relevant and crucial, as we move into the second phase in which we
will focus on achieving meaningful socio-economic freedom.
We had stated at the NGC and reiterate here, that the Leagues are
structures of the ANC which are subject to the discipline of the ANC.
We acknowledge the positive role played by the Leagues, the Alliance, MKMVA
and SANCO in 2009 during the national general elections and the 2011 local
government elections.
We scored a decisive victory in the elections due to the dedication and
commitment to the campaign by the Leagues and alliance partners.
Comrades,
President Oliver Tambo reminded us eloquently of the need for the unity of
the ANC-led Alliance a few years ago. He emphasised that it was “*a living
organism that has grown out of struggle’’. *
* *
* *
We worked together to bring about freedom, justice and human rights during
the struggle for liberation and currently as we fight poverty, inequality
and unemployment together.
We bring various strengths into the relationship. The SACP brings specific
ideological input as the vanguard of the working class.
The progressive federation Cosatu stands solely and squarely for the
interests of the workers. It is not a political party, while the ANC stands
for the interests of the entire nation irrespective of class or station in
society.
The relationship amongst components of the Alliance needs to be handled
with the greatest of care because if we don’t do so, we can polarise the
Alliance.
Our disagreements need to be handled with the understanding that we are
allies and not opponents, and that neither COSATU nor the SACP are in
opposition to the ANC.
Thus, we reiterate that public spats and shouting from podiums if one
partner is unhappy with the other will do little to build or strengthen the
Alliance.
Direct engagement on the other hand, would yield results and strengthen the
Alliance.
Comrades
Conference will deliberate on various Organisational Renewal proposals
including the proposed declaration of the Decade of the Cadre.
These recommendations are designed to strengthen the position of the ANC as
a disciplined force of the left with a bias towards the poor and the
working class, and also as a leader of society.
It will also include recommendations on how we should fight corruption and
promote ethics and integrity within the ANC as well, instead of leaving
action against corruption to government alone.
We look forward to fruitful discussions on organisational renewal in the
Commissions.
Comrades and friends,
The ANC-led Alliance needs to revisit its understanding of the balance of
forces currently in light of occurrences such as the tragedy in Marikana,
where 40 people died violently.
The Marikana Judicial Commission of Inquiry led by Judge Ian Farlam will
assist us to establish the circumstances around the painful incident.
We once again extend our deepest condolences to the families of all who
died in Marikana.
At the time, the ANC met with the CEOs of the mining companies to discuss
the living conditions of workers on the mines.
Government convened a Presidential High Level Dialogue on the economy to
deal with the various socio-economic challenges in the mining towns.
At a political level, the Marikana tragedy exposed the organisational
challenges we face both at the workplace and in the community.
Strong shop floor organisation and strong ANC and SACP plus SANCO in and
around Marikana, would have anticipated the challenges facing the workers
and acted accordingly.
We need to avoid the danger of distance between leaders and members, both
at the workplace and in the communities.
Marikana also exposed the seemingly deep rooted culture of violence and
intimidation that still exists in our society.
The Marikana tragedy served as a springboard for more wild cat strikes and
protests, which were also marred by violence.
These labour strikes were illegal, violent and appeared designed to
undermine collective bargaining in general and the National Union of
Mineworkers in particular.
At a governance level, we need to reflect on the implementation of the
Mining Charter, as mining companies should meet their obligations regarding
the social and labour plans.
We need to also reflect on the protests generally that have taken place in
the country last year, and the unacceptable violent nature thereof.
It is important for the ANC to maintain ongoing contact with the masses at
all times. We should explain to people when services are coming to them,
and if there is going to be a delay, they also need to be told.
We should engage our people more, even on the question of unacceptable
violence that accompanies some of the strikes and protests, which we
condemn in the strongest terms.
Thus, we must not lose sight of our political work, which is the lifeblood
of political organisations.
* *
*PART 2*
*GOVERNANCE*
*THE STATE AND THE ECONOMY*
In 2009 the fourth ANC administration took office and set out to implement
the directives of Polokwane.
The ANC Government adopted five priorities, which were education, health,
rural development and land reform, the fight against crime and creating
decent work.
The 2009 Election Manifesto, unpacking the resolutions of Polokwane, called
for the reconfiguration of government to enhance delivery on the five
priorities and general work.
The Manifesto said;
*“We will ensure a more effective government; improve the coordination and
planning efforts of the developmental state by means of a planning entity
to ensure faster change. A review of the structure of government will be
undertaken, to ensure effective service delivery’’.***
Indeed the structure of government was reviewed.
Some new departments were created and others were reshaped to enhance
delivery.
* *
Departments that were reconfigured were the following;
· Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs, to enable us
to put into action our goal of changing the face of rural areas through
meaningful socio-economic development initiatives.
· We decided to split Agriculture and Land Affairs and created a
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The special focus on
agriculture was prioritized to better support the commercial and emerging
sectors. Fisheries are a critical part of the limited natural resource base
of the country and would require special focus, especially with regard to
regulation and oversight.
· Housing was changed to Human Settlements, a paradigm shift
towards transforming our cities and towns and building communities with
closer access to work, social amenities, including sports and recreation
facilities.
· Mineral Resources, Energy and Tourism were made stand alone
ministries and were no longer clubbed with others, to enable focus.
· We split basic and higher education as we realized that Basic
Education had been not receiving as much attention as it should have
previously.
· The International Relations and Cooperation configuration refined
the mandate of the former Department of Foreign Affairs to include peace
efforts and developmental cooperation on the continent.
· A Ministry was established to deal with issues relating to women,
children and persons with disability.
The ANC Government also laid the foundation for a more performance-oriented
government in 2009, with the introduction of the Ministry of Performance
Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency.
There is already evidence that these changes are bearing fruit.
For the first time, Ministers signed performance agreements with the
President and with their colleagues with whom they work on aspects of their
work, which has increased levels of accountability.
Ministers are assessed quarterly on their work, while on-site visits are
also undertaken around the country for hands-on monitoring.
The monitoring of management practices is starting to bear fruit in a
number of areas too. For example, the average time taken to fill a funded
vacancy in national and provincial departments improved from 9 months in
2010 to 4 months in 2012.
The responsiveness of departments to cases referred to them from Chapter 9
institutions and from the national Anti-Corruption Hotline has improved.
Compliance rates have improved regarding important issues such as
finalising performance agreements for heads of department and submission of
financial disclosure forms by senior managers.
Turn-around times have also improved in some areas of service delivery. For
example, the average time taken to issue an ID book has been reduced from
about 150 days to about 30 days.
The average time taken to process an application for a social grant
decreased from 30 days in 2010 to 21 days in 2012. There has also been an
improvement in the average time taken for police to respond to calls for
assistance.
However, there is still much room for improvement in departments,
particularly in areas such as payment of suppliers within 30 days.
Comrades,
Another crucial establishment in the Presidency, referred to in the ANC
Manifesto, is the National Planning Commission that the President launched
in 2009.
The NPC this year produced the country’s ground-breaking National
Development Plan a major achievement for the fourth administration.
The plan is comprehensive and covers a number of sectors.
These include tackling the problems of poverty, inequality and
unemployment, infrastructure, education and skills development, small
business development, education and the national health insurance.
We now have a plan that has been welcomed by all sectors of society and not
just government and the ruling party alone.
Comrades,
When we took the decision on national developmental planning, we were very
conscious of the fact that, firstly, the transition to a national
democratic society will face complex challenges which cannot be addressed
on an ad-hoc fashion or solely left to the forces of the market.
We knew that the existence of a national planning mechanism will ensure
that there is coherent programme and strategic discipline within the state
and hopefully eliminate silos.
Also, our economy is integrated in the global economy which often exposes
us to turbulences and uncertainties such as the present global economic
crisis.
In such conditions, it is easy to lose sight of our vision and strategic
priorities, in favour of short-term solutions. Having a national strategic
vision as a country helps us stay on track.
Thirdly, we must accept that the process of overcoming unemployment,
poverty and inequality, of building a national democratic society will be
long and hard.
It is for this reason that we should always make sure that our people, the
motive forces, remain mobilised and focused around our national development
vision, otherwise society may lose sense of direction.
The long-duration of our transition also means that our movement must
consistently provide leadership to society and to the state.
Having a long-term planning blueprint creates certainty about where we are
going and how we intend to go there.
Comrades,
We look to the NDP and economic programmes to help us resolve the impact of
inequality which remains is deep and glaring as revealed in Census 2011
income levels.
The income of the average white household remains six times that of the
average African household.
The average annual African household income is R60 613 and the white
household income is at R365 164. Close to 1.9 million African households
reported no income at all, indicating the challenges.
Comrades,
We discuss our economic development plans in the middle of a global
economic crisis in Europe and the United States, our big export partners.
The big emerging economies are also slowing down. The atmosphere is not too
rosy.
In addition, we had our country’s credit rating downgraded by two rating
agencies recently.
We will not delve into the reasons for dowgrading but we want to dismiss
the perceptions that our country is falling apart because of the
downgrades. We continue to do our development work, we continue to plan for
a recovery.
Today, the ratings agencies and investors are asking whether the ANC can
continue to manage this economy so that we can grow, create jobs, manage
our debt and provide policy certainty.
Yes, the ANC will continue to provide strong economic leadership and steer
our economy boldly, and we do have a plan to grow the economy and create
jobs.
Central to that plan is our overarching National Development Plan which
clearly identifies our challenges but also our opportunities to transform
the economy, and build a thriving developmental state.
The destination we are heading towards is a mixed economy, where the state,
private capital, cooperative and other forms of social ownership complement
each other in an integrated way to eliminate poverty and foster shared
economic growth.
Some of the instruments we are using, within the NDP framework, is our New
Growth Path, which identifies the drivers of job creation.
These are agriculture, infrastructure, agro-processing and rural
development, mining and beneficiation, manufacturing, the green economy
and tourism.
We launched an ambitious infrastructure programme, which is gathering
momentum every day. Large public investments in energy, ports, railway
lines and roads will help alleviate supply bottlenecks in the economy.
The Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission adds a value to
the National Development Plan in the manner in which it coordinates all
infrastructure projects across municipalities, provinces and governments.
Our industrial and trade policies are also active and well resourced.
These include the Industrial Policy Action Plan, the Manufacturing
Competitiveness Programme and others.
Informed by Polokwane economic transformation resolution on state owned
enterprises and development finance institutions, we have begun to reorient
development finance institutions such as the IDC, to place jobs at the
centre of their mandates.
We established the Presidential State Owned Entreprises Review Committee
which undertook a study of state owned enterprises, including the role of
SOEs in a developmental state.
Issues that were looked at included governance, ownership, oversight
establishment and dis-establishment, management, remuneration,
effectiveness and efficiency, funding, and viability.
The report covers over 700 SOEs and public entities, including the
regulatory framework.
In addition, we are in the process of amending the Broad-based Black
Economic Empowerment Act and have also agreed to revise the points in the
scorecards so that we prioritise local industrial development, skills and
small business development.
Comrades,
The Polokwane economic resolution calls for an economy that is integrated
with the SADC region.
Last year South Africa hosted 26 heads of state and government, convened to
launch talks on a free trade area stretching from Cape Town to Cairo, and
comprising of 600 million Africans.
Major investments have also taken place in industrial and business
activities on the continent, by South Africans in the public and private
sectors.
Our focus is now on further industrialisation of the continent, to expand
growth drivers beyond mining, oil and agriculture. The massive growth in
African consumption provides a source of demand for African factories.
Comrades and friends,
A particularly important part of ANC policies has been to emphasise the
economic South in global affairs. This includes increasing south-south
trade.
These concerns were highlighted again in the Polokwane resolutions. I am
pleased to say that we are making solid progress.
Last year, South Africa joined the BRICS grouping, which brings together
China, Russia, India and Brazil in a forum that meets annually at heads of
state level and develops common positions on social, economic and political
issues.
In 2013, we will host the first BRICS Summit to be held on African soil.
These developments coincide with a significant expansion in our trade with
other BRICS countries, and with the growth in the economic weight of BRICS
in the global system.
Comrades, global conditions might make our task and all these plans more
difficult.
However, the challenges we face – unemployment, poverty and inequality – are
South African in their origin, and are deep and structural.
This is why we have said that economic transformation is at the heart of
the second phase of our transition from apartheid to a national democratic
society. We need to accelerate growth and intensify our programme of
structural change.
This programme of change rests on the solid foundation of the ANC’s vision.
It is a vision that is clear and unambiguous.
It builds on the Freedom Charter’s clarion call that the people shall share
in the South Africa’s wealth. It is a vision of an equitable society in
which there is decent work for all.
We know that our most effective weapon in the campaign against poverty is
the creation of decent work, and creating work requires faster and more
inclusive economic growth.
Accelerating growth, and ensuring a more inclusive economy, requires a
radical improvement in the outcomes generated from the use of public
resources.
But the public sector acting alone cannot achieve the goal of a sustained
acceleration in growth. Implementing this programme will require that we
unite all South Africans around our movement’s vision.
We must create a momentum for change that inspires all our people to put
their shoulder to the wheel of common effort.
As we accelerate growth along the path of change, we should draw in
investors, both international and South African, to support our programme
in the certainty that we will succeed in creating prosperity for all.
Polokwane called on the ANC to take the lead in mobilising and uniting all
South Africans behind a common vision of economic transformation.
The National Development Plan articulates a programme. The critical task
for Mangaung is to take this forward by creating a stronger sense of unity
and purpose around the direction of economic change.
Comrades, the ANC has a proud record of creating maximum unity among all
social forces to meet the challenges that have faced it.
Our people require the same spirit of united action from all ANC members,
indeed from all South Africans that want our motherland to succeed in its
great mission to create a better life for all.
We will work with Business, labour, the community sector and other sectors
to make these plans succeed.
With single-minded determination, let us commit ourselves to transform our
economy and society so that all our people can benefit from the fruits of a
growing economy.
* *
* *
*SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION HIGHLIGHTS*
* *
Comrades,
We continue to invest in achieving quality health care, water, sanitation,
electricity, roads and housing, social grants and other necessities so that
our children, especially the black majority, can have a better future than
their parents and grandparents.
In education, we have done well to expand access. More than eight million
children at primary and secondary schools benefit from school-feeding
schemes, and nine million do not pay school fees.
Grade R enrolments have doubled, while at tertiary, students benefit from
the conversion of loans to bursaries.
We are now investing more effort in improving basic education, especially
the Annual National Assessments programme.
The programme is government’s barometer of the performance of the education
system. We initiated the ANAs as we wanted to see the real performance
levels of the learners and intervene correctly and timeously, which we have
done.
The 2012 ANA results are better than last years’, except for the dismal
grade 9 maths results.
Some measures introduced by government already to improve school
performance include the training of teachers and principals.
It also includes improving the school environment, through enforcing more
discipline, hence the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign.
In this regard, let me repeat the call to all our teachers, that they
should be in school, in class, on time, teaching for seven hours every
school day next year.
The delivery of textbooks must also improve. The failure to deliver books
to grades 3,6,9 and 10 this year in Limpopo is an occurrence that must not
be repeated.
To improve the learning environment, there are currently more than 2 000
school refurbishment projects across the country, eliminating mud schools
and other inappropriate structures.
Comrades, Crime statistics show a decrease in most crimes, including armed
robberies, housebreakings and contact crimes.
But we must work harder to reduce and ultimately eliminate crimes against
women and children, which have not abated.
The campaign against corruption continues. Our country is one of the most
transparent societies when it comes to the fight against corruption, it is
talked about often in the public domain as there is a unified effort by all
in society to build a corruption-free South Africa.
Government has established institutions that probe corruption including the
Special Investigating Unit, and units within the SA Police Service,
Treasury and other departments.
We urge the public to continue assisting these units with information so
that we can stop corruption in its tracks.
One area of vulnerability in government is the tender system. Conference
may wish to deliberate on tendering which is often open to abuse currently.
Comrades, another matter that is currently generating outrage in the
country is the loss of 618 rhinos to rhino poaching in 2012, with 257
people having been arrested in relation to rhino poaching.
The swift action of the numerous law enforcement agencies is commendable as
are the strict sentences imposed on those involved in rhino poaching and
related crimes. Just last month, a stiff 40-year sentence was handed down
to a Thai national.
The SA National Defence Force has also returned to the 350km of national
border in Kruger National Park and other country borders.
We urge the communities living near borders and nature reserves to assist
the campaign against rhino poaching. Let us save our rhino population from
these ruthless poachers and criminals.
Comrades and friends,
With regards to health care, steady progress is being made in implementing
the National Health Insurance scheme, with pilot projects in 10 districts.
This scheme will enable all South Africans to receive quality health care
and not only those who can afford to be on medical aid schemes.
Dramatic achievements have been scored in the fight against HIV and AIDS
since the turnaround strategy was announced in 2009, leading to a rise in
life expectancy.
We have more people on treatment, we have reduced the rate of mother to
child transmission of the virus by half, and over 20 million people have
been tested for HIV, voluntarily.
*Ketlaphela*, a joint venture initiative between government and a leading
global pharmaceutical company is at an advanced stage and will lead to bulk
of our ARV supply being produced domestically at a lower cost. On land,
Polokwane reaffirmed these important principles of the freedom charter when
it resolved that we should change the patterns of land ownership through
the redistribution of 30% of agricultural land before 2014.
We are not likely to achieve the 2014 target due to a number of factors
such as the fundamental policy design flaws inherent in the '*willing
buyer, willing seller*' paradigm.
The ANC government has developed a green paper on land reform and proposals
were made by the policy conference. This conference should produce a
resolution that will take us forward in addressing the land question faster
and within the ambit of the law.
Comrade Chairperson, this 53rd conference must take youth development and
empowerment to another level. The Polokwane conference directed that we
merge the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission into a
Youth Development Agency, and this was done.
Beyond this, the ANC government has since 2009 pursued various programmes
for youth development located in a number of departments, some of which are
very successful.
Conference will deliberate on a number of measures, including proposals for
youth employment.
Comrades,
The ANC government is steadily improving the position of women in public
office and is moving towards 50-50 parity in the holding of leadership
public positions.
The National Policy Conference recommended the inclusion of more women in
economic empowerment programmes in the second phase of the transition, a
matter that we trust will feature prominently in this conference.
*INTERNATIONAL WORK AND THE GLOBAL BALANCE OF FORCES*
* *
Comrades,
The ANC’s agenda in the international arena is based on its belief and
commitment to progressive internationalism.
During our liberation struggle as the ANC it was the solidarity with our
cause from the progressive forces internationally that assisted us to
defeat apartheid.
Our struggle as progressive forces of the world is against political
systems which undermine global governance and exploit the natural resources
of the developing countries, in particular Africa.
At Polokwane we acknowledged the radical changes taking place in the world.
We resolved to gather all progressive forces on the African continent.
To this end, the ANC has successfully engaged with former liberation
movements and consolidated our partnership agenda based on serving the poor
in our region and the continent as a whole.
With regards to international solidarity, the ANC hosted the Socialist
International and it became very clear, that progressive movements need to
play a more active role in shaping the direction of the SI.
As part of our centenary celebrations we hosted an International Solidarity
conference where far reaching resolutions were taken including support for
Palestine, Western Sahara and the Cubans who continue to face an economic
blockade.
When assessing the balance of forces, as they apply to Africa, we need
sharpen our understanding of the role of anti-imperialist motive forces in
the present world situation. This is even more crucial in the context of
the global capitalist crisis.
We should ask a few questions in this conference.
Who are the motive forces of the African revolution? What is the role and
contribution that our revolution is making to the regeneration of Africa?
This calls for stronger cooperation among liberation movements in the
region to ensure that the gains of liberation and decolonisation are not
reversed.
We also need to be alive to lessons from North Africa, especially the
aftermath of the political changes that took place there last year,
referred to as the Arab Spring.
We must analyse foreign interventions that bring about regime change which
leave the people leaderless and allow military formations and right wing
organizations to lead.
Comrades at a practical level, we have done well in implementing the
resolutions on international work.
With regards to African Union government, we anticipate progress since the
election of Comrade Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the new Chairperson of the AU
Commission.
Meanwhile, our National Chairperson Comrade Baleka Mbethe serves on the
Panel of the AU’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
To take forward the African agenda, we have escalated our continental focus
on infrastructure to the level of Heads of State and Government through a
NEPAD committee of champion that we lead.
On peace and security, we played an active role as member of the SADC
Troika, the AU Peace and Security Council, and the United Nations Security
Council.
We are proud to have been among the 138 countries that voted in the UN
General Assembly a few days ago in favour of Palestinians’ statehood bid.
Comrades,
A few international events that were helpful for the stature of the country
were hosted in the last five years.
South Africa successfully hosted the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the
biggest sporting spectacle in the world.
In the same year, we hosted the biggest meeting of young people from around
the world, the World Festival of Youth and Students.
South Africa hosted successfully in 2011, the United Nations climate change
conference or COP 17 and concluded the Durban Platform of action.
South Africa also hosted a number of conferences and meetings of the left
during this term.These include the Communist and Workers' Parties Conference, the Socialist
International, the World Federation of Trade Unions and most recently, the
International Solidarity Conference.
Comrades,
The future of our revolution and of our country is in our hands, and we
must carry forward the work needed for the social and economic emancipation
of our people.
We need to prepare ourselves for this journey, starting today, towards
socio-economic freedom for all our people.
I now declare the 53rd National Conference open!
Amandla!
Matla!
All power!
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