‘We need to be a united nation,’ Zikalala says
KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Premier Sihle Zikalala has stressed that, when uniting the ANC, we must unite ourselves.
He said this during the commemoration of the 67th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, held at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Sunday. The charter was adopted by South Africans from all walks of life, at the Congress of the People in Kliptown on June 26, 1955, serving as a vision for post-apartheid South Africa.
“In this region in KwaZulu-Natal, we must be about unity. Whether we differ ideologically, or in positions and preferences, at the end we must unite the congress movement. The renewal of the ANC must talk to the character of the leadership of the ANC. Unity must be practiced in all places,” said Zikalala.
He added that the fight against corruption must be prioritised.
“It needs to be done in line with the freedom charter, which states that all should be equal before the law. We need to address the issue of factions. We must also continuously assess whether we are still implementing what we were mandated by the ANC. In doing so, we must unite the ANC.”
Zikalala said this day is very important as its points to the direction and the journey that the ANC must still travel to achieve the national democratic society.
“The freedom charter represents the aspiration of the people of South Africa, as led by the congress movement. The ANC sought to unite the oppressed group against the cancer of ethnic division and racial expression. Throughout the 110 years of the ANC’s existence, it has always prioritised unity among Africans, especially those who were oppressed.
“We have the responsibility to unite the people of South Africa. The Freedom Charter is a guide for all of us. It tells us where we are going as the congress movement. All national groups shall have equal rights. The people must share the country’s wealth.”
He said the province has designed a number of programmes to enforce the implementation of radical economic transformation.
“We should ask ourselves whether we have done enough to ensure that South Africa belongs to all who live in it? We should affirm the national character of the revolution, which is about the creation of a non-racial and non-sexist society.”