Challenges at policy conference but ANC will rise above them‚ says Zuma

03 July 2017 - 13:52 By Neo Goba
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ANC President, Jacob Zuma looks at the lifesize statue of Walter Sisulu and Albertina Sisulu during his walkabout at the ANC Policy Conference held at Nasrec.
ANC President, Jacob Zuma looks at the lifesize statue of Walter Sisulu and Albertina Sisulu during his walkabout at the ANC Policy Conference held at Nasrec.
Image: Masi Losi

President Jacob Zuma says a strategic review of ANC policies across a broad range of areas‚ including pressing issues‚ and recommendations on new policies have been a great challenge at the party’s policy conference.

The ANC is holding its 5th national policy conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre‚ south of Johannesburg.

"This policy conference is in a sense looking for solutions to challenges that face us and we are crafting them as we discuss and take decisions that were not there before - for an example‚ what is it that we can do to ensure that all our resolutions‚ policies and programmes are implemented. There is a very strong focus on that one because we realise that on the implementation side‚ there are some hitches and we trying to solve those matters‚" said Zuma.

Zuma was addressing members of the media after taking a tour of the exhibition stands on the sidelines of the ANC policy conference on Monday.

The president said he believes that the ANC will rise above the challenges they are facing in the policy conference.

All the party's resolutions on policies will only be binding once they have been adopted at the party's national conference in December.

Zuma also complimented ANC branches for debating matters at a high level.

"What impressed me more is the quality of the debates‚ I think it has gone up‚ particularly if you listen to the stalwarts and you listen to the youth in particular and delegates. I think they are really focused. The fact that we had more days this time‚ gave us an opportunity to have more debates‚ so that there is more clarity [and] more time to clarify issues that may not be clear‚" added Zuma.

He said so far the policy conference is going very well and recommendations in December will take the movement forward.

On Sunday‚ deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa also said that despite delegates having different views on policies that have to be implemented‚ they will emerge as a united front on key policies.

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