Ramaphosa urges renewal in alliance
DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the National Health and Allied Workers Union and the ANC’s alliance partners to emerge from their conferences more united than ever before‚ to strengthen the ruling party ahead of the 2019 national elections.
Ramaphosa said the alliance partners had to begin now to intensify their campaign because opposition parties like the DA and the EFF had already hit the ground running.
“Beyond December [the ANC national elective conference], comrades‚ we need to intensify our campaign for the 2019 elections.
“They must begin intensifying from December because then‚ the ANC will be armed with the best policies.
“It will have the best policies underpinned by revolutionary radicalism and policies that are going to be implemented‚” Ramaphosa said.
He was speaking at Nehawu’s 11th national conference at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg‚ where he was keynote speaker.
The conference began yesterday and ends on Thursday.
“These must be events of renewal‚ they must be events where we renew our strength, where we reinforce our determination to be united.
“Let us seize these opportunities to decisively tackle the difficulties in our movement and in our alliance. “This year‚ we have several opportunities to advance the renewal of our movement and alliance.
“These are iconic milestone events of our democratic movement and the alliance.
“We must emerge from them more united‚ more coherent‚ more capable of fulfilling our responsibilities to the people of our country‚” Ramaphosa said.
This was in reference to the SACP, which is due for a conference next month and could possibly then decide at to leave the ANC alliance.
The SACP and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) are the only ANC tripartite alliance partners left that are still due to hold national conferences.
Let us decisively tackle the difficulties in our movement
Cosatu had its own earlier this month and yet again pronounced that Ramaphosa should take over as ANC president in December.
The ANC holds its national policy conference from Thursday to next Wednesday and expects to host all provinces at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto.
Turning to alliance partners speaking out against ANC wrongdoings‚ Ramaphosa said they should continue doing so. It was not the time to keep quiet. Ironically‚ President Jacob Zuma had in the past criticised alliance partners calling on him to step down.
Earlier‚ Nehawu president Mzwandile Makwayiba told the more than 1 000 delegates that the dysfunctional state of unions would sound a death knell for the Congress of South African Trade Unions, of which Nehawu is an affiliate.
He said drastic measures needed to be taken to save Cosatu and its affiliates from corruption‚ maladministration and fighting for senior positions.
“If nothing happens soon‚ this federation is going to diminish. I hope the commission will discuss this matter.”