Since taking power in 1994, the ANC-led government has changed the face of South Africa. State resources are now for all to share.

But this success has led to deep structural problems as ANC members battle to outdo each other in competing for top posts in the government.

The internal battles which have become rife over the years have reversed the gains made since 1994.

Poor service delivery, supposedly a priority of local government, has suffered.

A report in today's paper tells of how ANC councillors are targeted by angry communities and their houses burned down. This shows how important it is that the policy conference this week takes bold steps on policies that will improve the lives of ordinary South Africans.

If it fails to do that, and concentrates instead on the leadership contest , the 100-year-old liberation organisation will find it difficult to obliterate the remnants of apartheid that linger in our country to this day.

President Jacob Zuma, whose time in office has been a roller-coaster affair, must take charge and prove that he knows what he is doing.

The political skills he displays against his rivals in the ANC should be matched by an ability to take South Africa to another level.

When ANC delegates gather in Johannesburg this week, they should remember the difficulties faced by South Africans every day.

High unemployment, our struggling economy, and increasing corruption within the government and the private sector, should be at the centre of the discussions.

Political slogans and rhetoric will not get us anywhere except to drag South Africa down into economic and social darkness.

Time is not on our side.