LISTEN | Cyril Ramaphosa blames senior ANC leaders for continued divisions

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has accused the party’s national leaders of being behind deep divisions plaguing the governing party. 

Ramaphosa made the claim during his political report at the opening of the ANC national conference in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg on Friday.

He said the divisions were not caused by political differences but by the race for positions in government and the resources attached to these positions.

Ramaphosa said the outgoing national executive committee (NEC) has continued to be divided since its election five years ago. 

The divisions at the top had trickled down to branches of the party, he charged.

“Some of the divisions that existed before the 54th national conference continue within the organisation, including within the national executive committee,” said Ramaphosa

“Our experience of recent years is that disunity does not arise from ideological, political or strategic differences  but from a contest over positions in the state and the resources that are attached to them.

“We need to acknowledge that despite our efforts over the last five years, we are not as united, cohesive or effective as we should be.”

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Ramaphosa said it was for these reasons that the ANC had no choice but to forge ahead with the project of renewing itself.

In doing, he added, its partners in the tripartite alliance, Cosatu and the SACP, could not be left excluded.

“The renewal of the ANC will be incomplete without the renewal of our entire movement, including how we deal with the issue of the reconfiguration of the alliance, the core of the movement,” he said.

“As the ANC we must recognise that there hav been weaknesses, lapses and shortcomings in how we have managed this relationship and how we have approached our common tasks and responsibilities.

“The ANC recognises the leadership role of the working class in social transformation and stands ready to work with Cosatu, the SACP and all progressive formations to build working-class unity.”

Ramaphosa struggled through his speech as he was constantly heckled by pockets of delegates from KwaZulu-Natal.

But after KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Sboniso Duma and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo doused the fires, he managed to read his speech until the end, albeit to the accompaniment of scattered shouts of “Phala Phala”  and "load-shedding, step aside” that failed to throw him off.

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