Radical economic transformation gospel truth: Zuma
CAPE TOWN. — Christians can’t argue against the notion of radical economic transformation, said President Jacob Zuma in Parliament yesterday.
“It’s the gospel truth and I love talking about it like a pastor likes talking about the bible on Sundays.”
Zuma was responding to a debate on the Presidency’s budget vote that took place the previous day, and spent a considerable time explaining to largely ANC MPs in the National Assembly what government means by radical economic transformation
The opposition benches of particularly the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters were mostly empty and only a handful of opposition party members — such as those from the Inkatha Freedom Party and Freedom Front Plus — were present.
“Do you want clarity on radical economic transformation?” Zuma asked the IFP in particular.
“The decision to implement this was taken at the ANC’s 53rd national conference in Mangaung in 2012. It’s a policy of the ruling party and it has come from someone’s head. It’s policy,” Zuma emphasised.
“People who are still in doubt should read the ANC’s resolutions taken there. It’s our duty as government to implement the policies of the ANC. And we are late. It should’ve been implemented in 2013 — immediately.”
Zuma continued, saying the notion of radical economic transformation was again repeated at the ANC’s lekgotla in January this year.
Radical economic transformation in general means broadly accelerated socio-economic transformation, land reform and redistribution among other things, Zuma said.