President softens his attitude towards the veterans
THEY might not still be around, but the spirit of the late ANC leaders like Nelson Mandela, Fatima Meer and Oliver Tambo are visible around the party’s policy conference in Nasrec.
Statues of iconic leaders have been placed at the venue, and yesterday, President Jacob Zuma walked through the exhibition to admire them and show respect.
The statues are the brainchild of Tambo’s son Dali Tambo and are usually exhibited at the Groenkloof National Heritage Monument.
On day four of the conference, Zuma said one of the important issues they were wrestling with was the implementation of policies once the conference was over.
“There is a very strong focus on that because we realise that on the implementation side there are some hitches and we are trying to solve those issues,” Zuma said after walking through the exhibition centre and interacting with business people.
He said the conference was “going absolutely very well” and that he believed the party would be able to rise above its current challenges.
Zuma, who was flanked by ANC treasurer-general Dr Zweli Mkhize, praised the veterans for their contribution. He said: “The level of debate has gone up, especially when you listen to the stalwarts and the youth in particular. The fact that this time we had more days is an opportunity to have more debate so there is time to clarify all the things that need to be clarified.”
His comments came as a surprise following Zuma’s opening address on Friday, when he launched a scathing attack on the veterans. During the speech he accused the stalwarts of not respecting party branches and procedures. This was appar- ently because the veterans refused to be part of the two days set aside for a consultative conference; they said it was too short a time.
Zuma yesterday praised delegates for coming out in their numbers and giving positive input. “The recommendations therefore for the national conference in December will take us very far.”