PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has said all the right things at the ANC's centenary bash on Sunday. Only those steeped in things illogical would dispute that the party needs moral and intellectual leadership.
Not one rational person would disagree with Zuma that the party has to modernise and professionalise itself.
That the party has a rich history in the struggle against apartheid, which Zuma took time to elaborate on, is well known. That the ANC is a ruling party that has a responsibility to bring about progressive change is not subject to question.
What is questionable is whether the party has done what it set out to do since it came to power in 1994. Zuma suggested it has succeeded. Truth is, it depends on where you sit.
Intriguing was Zuma's statement that the ANC would "re-commit" itself to the Constitution and the Freedom Charter.
It is not clear what this "re-commitment" will entail, or whether it is an admission that the party has lasped in this regard. Could it be simply a rhetoric that seeks to reassure an increasing number of sceptics who believe the party no longer represents what it used to?
Also telling is Zuma's promise to invite all South Africans to debate the future of the country.
The truth is, South Africans do not need permission or an invite to do what they are entitled to in terms of the Constitution.
ANC leaders would do themselves a favour by listening to radio talk shows, read letters to the editor in newspapers and magazines and discussions in blogs, taxis, trains, buses, in salons, taverns and other places.
They are talking about the need to get rid of corrupt councillors and other politicians.
They are bemoaning the lack of jobs. They desire a country that will record double-digit economic growth. They want a corruption-free and efficient civil service. They want a country that is held in high regard internationally and locally.
They would like to dismantle the economic divide between blacks and whites in a manner that both races become equally wealthy rather than equally poorer. They are tired of crime.
Zuma said the ANC had lasted this long because it had always been humble rather than an arrogant party.
If that's the case, rather than invite people to a debate, the ANC should go out and listen to what people are already saying.
Having said all the right things, many of which are not really new, Zuma should know that South Africans have gotten too used to all the right messages.
But these are like music notes yearning for a quality choir.
Zuma must listen to folk
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has said all the right things at the ANC's centenary bash on Sunday. Only those steeped in things illogical would dispute that the party needs moral and intellectual leadership.
Not one rational person would disagree with Zuma that the party has to modernise and professionalise itself.
That the party has a rich history in the struggle against apartheid, which Zuma took time to elaborate on, is well known. That the ANC is a ruling party that has a responsibility to bring about progressive change is not subject to question.
What is questionable is whether the party has done what it set out to do since it came to power in 1994. Zuma suggested it has succeeded. Truth is, it depends on where you sit.
Intriguing was Zuma's statement that the ANC would "re-commit" itself to the Constitution and the Freedom Charter.
It is not clear what this "re-commitment" will entail, or whether it is an admission that the party has lasped in this regard. Could it be simply a rhetoric that seeks to reassure an increasing number of sceptics who believe the party no longer represents what it used to?
Also telling is Zuma's promise to invite all South Africans to debate the future of the country.
The truth is, South Africans do not need permission or an invite to do what they are entitled to in terms of the Constitution.
ANC leaders would do themselves a favour by listening to radio talk shows, read letters to the editor in newspapers and magazines and discussions in blogs, taxis, trains, buses, in salons, taverns and other places.
They are talking about the need to get rid of corrupt councillors and other politicians.
They are bemoaning the lack of jobs. They desire a country that will record double-digit economic growth. They want a corruption-free and efficient civil service. They want a country that is held in high regard internationally and locally.
They would like to dismantle the economic divide between blacks and whites in a manner that both races become equally wealthy rather than equally poorer. They are tired of crime.
Zuma said the ANC had lasted this long because it had always been humble rather than an arrogant party.
If that's the case, rather than invite people to a debate, the ANC should go out and listen to what people are already saying.
Having said all the right things, many of which are not really new, Zuma should know that South Africans have gotten too used to all the right messages.
But these are like music notes yearning for a quality choir.
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