ANC vows to end corruption, infighting to win back votes

MINISTER in the Presidency and ANC head of policy Jeff Radebe said the party needed to act urgently to restore its moral character to win back the trust of the people.

He was speaking at the launch of policy discussion documents released by the party yesterday, before the party’s June policy conference.

He described the rift between party leaders and the South African people as “worrying”.

A key element of the documents is a promise by the ANC to end corruption and infighting in an effort to rescue its waning public support.

“The ANC is increasingly losing the trust of the people, as illustrated by declining electoral performance and intense public criticism,” Radebe said. “The organisation must act urgently to restore its moral character, to win back the trust of the people and ensure that the ANC is structured optimally to remain the leader of the… forces for change.”

He warned that if action wasn’t taken quickly the “social distance between leaders and members, widespread corruption, poor performance in government and abuse of organisational processes for personal gain” would lead to the demise of the party.

Branches must now engage on the documents.

One of the ways proposed to improve the trust between the party and the people is a proposal for the open contestation of elections.