During three days of talk, debate and introspection, the ruling party again promised South Africans that it will act differently this time around and "root out" corruption. Delegates to the ANC national general council meeting at the weekend agreed that if the party were to remain relevant to voters it would have to up its game and do better on service delivery.But we have heard such statements before.After the last council meeting, in Durban in 2010, voters were promised radical economic change and a government responsive to their needs.President Jacob Zuma, then and also on Sunday, said things would change for the better and promised to go back to basics.He promised to act against those who milk the state. This would be done by introducing lifestyle audits of all employees of the state and its agencies.But corruption should be prevented, not managed through audits.Why is a national general council gathering needed for Zuma and his team to realise that all is not well in our state?We will not hold our breath waiting for what the ANC promises to do to be done. It is difficult to believe that the current leadership has the will to effect the drastic corrective measures necessary.Conference delegates made proposals and demanded changes to some policies, but there was a deafening silence, and sometimes a mismatch of ideas, on how to kick-start the economy.The council meeting could have achieved more if more time had been spent dealing with the economy. Instead, delegates were at times locked in factional battles.Whether we have a female, a male or a robot for president does not matter. South Africans want jobs to create a better tomorrow for their children.So stop the talk and deliver better service...