ANC is now more united‚ Jacob Zuma says at end of conference

President Jacob Zuma used the start of his closing address at the ANC’s national policy conference to emphasise that the party had come out of a week of discussions united.

This is despite reports of heated debate‚ especially around issues on economic transformation‚ land expropriation‚ the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank and the term white monopoly capital.

Zuma endorses call for loser in ANC presidency race to be elected deputy presidentPresident Jacob Zuma has thrown his weight behind a compromise solution to a bruising elective battle‚ saying the candidate who loses the ANC presidency should be elected the deputy president of the party.  

“This conference strengthened the culture of robust internal debate in the ANC‚ anchored on the principle that we can disagree without being disagreeable‚” he told delegates on Wednesday afternoon. “After all‚ we are not enemies; we are comrades.” Zuma said the ANC emerged from conference wiser and better in its understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. “We have a keen understanding of the challenges and how to overcome them.” Proposals made at the conference would now be taken to branches for discussion ahead of the party’s elective conference in December.

“We came here first and foremost to review the polices of the ANC and to assess whether we are still on course with the execution of the goals of the national democratic revolution‚” Zuma said.

‘It is "white" monopoly capital': Jacob Zuma closes #ANCPolicy conference