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ANC dedicated to ending “deviant practices’ destroying organisation – Ramaphosa

Picture credit: ESA ALEXANDER
Picture credit: ESA ALEXANDER

The ANC is dedicating 2017 to correcting the many mistakes it has made and ending the “deviant practices” that are slowly destroying the organisation‚ Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.

Speaking at the Eastern Cape ANC 105th anniversary celebration in Mthatha‚ he said that at all levels of the organisation‚ in its leagues and even among some components of the alliance‚ leadership contests were accompanied by practices such as gatekeeping‚ vote buying‚ electoral fraud and even violence.

“We must face the reality that much of the factionalism in our movement is rooted in a competition for access to resources.

“We must acknowledge here that there are instances where internal ANC processes have been infiltrated by individuals and companies seeking preferential access to state business.

“Often‚ people are recruited to the ANC not to build the organisation‚ but to provide votes to one or another faction‚” Ramaphosa asserted.

The need for the unity of the patriotic and democratic forces of the country had never been greater than it was today‚ he added.

“We must be honest enough to recognise that disunity‚ mistrust‚ ideological incoherence and organisational weakness is undermining our ability to address the challenges that confront our people‚” Ramaphosa stated.

“Building the unity of the ANC and the Alliance is therefore the most important and urgent task of the moment.”

The January 8th Statement provided a plan of action to unite and rebuild the movement.

“We need to insulate state procurement processes from political interference.

“We need to strengthen internal processes for managing potential conflicts of interest and alleged criminal conduct and ethical breaches‚” Ramaphosa said.

At the same time‚ the organisation needed to embrace the concept of revolutionary discipline as understood and practiced by Oliver Tambo‚ who would have been 100 years old this year and to whom this year had been dedicated.

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