I am a loyal ANC member in good standing for many years. I want to urge other ANC members to understand the basic fact that elected members could possibly end up being our public representatives.

Therefore, we shouldn't be guided by internal factional interests but elect the best among us.

Our people have been associating us with corruption and labelling us as criminals, hence the recent elections results weren't in our favour. We risk becoming a footnote in our country's political history, mainly because of our choice of leadership – we elect people tainted by corruption.

Today, instead of strengthening the step-aside rule, some among us want it to be scrapped altogether. Why? Because they don't care about the image of our organisation and the diminished trust we currently suffer. We are only concerned about the emergence of our slates above the public outcry.

The ANC taught us to choose the best among us to lead and be guided by the "through the eye of the needle" document. We choose to ignore this document at our peril.

Voters aren't stupid or blinded by loyalty to the former liberation movement. Recent election results should be warning bells. However, we are bogged down by our loyalty to our factions.

I therefore request that as members we must embrace unity, renewal and reconnecting our once-beloved ANC to our people.

Going back to the basics also means that we must address bread-and-butter issues that affect our country and people daily. We need to focus now more than before. It can only start with electing the kind of leadership that will be taken seriously by the electorate.

Moses Zola Manake, Roodekrans, Roodepoort