Closing address by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the first part of the 55th National Conference of the ANC
20 December 2022
National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe,
Deputy President, Paul Mashatile,
Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula,
First Deputy Secretary General, Nomvula Mokonyane,
Second Deputy Secretary General, Maropene Ramokgopa,
Treasurer General, Gwen Ramokgopa,
Former President Thabo Mbeki,
Former President Jacob Zuma,
Isithwalandwe Mama Sophie De Bruyn,
Representatives of the Leagues,
Members of the Electoral Committee,
Representatives of the Alliance, fraternal parties and observers,
Distinguished guests,
Delegates,
We have come to the end of the first part of our 55th ANC National Conference.
The Steering Committee has decided that we should adjourn the conference and continue with it on the 5th of January 2023.
This will be followed by the celebration of the 1 1 Ith anniversary of the ANC on the 8th of January in Mangaung in the Free State.
This Conference has in many ways proven to be a watershed moment in the life and the history of our movement.
Through the deliberations at this Conference have chosen the path of renewal, to rebuild our movement and restore its values.
We have chosen the path of principled unity, in the finest traditions of our movement.
There have been attempts to divide us, to provoke us and to divert us from the tasks that we must undertake in advancing our National Democratic Revolution.
There have been moments at this Conference that have tested our unity and cohesion.
But thanks to the political consciousness and for the most part the discipline amongst yourselves as delegates, whatever differences amongst us did not distract us from the critical work that the people of this country expect and require of us.
The branches have spoken by choosing the leadership that will emerge from here.
The ANC has spoken.
The strong democratic tradition that underpins the founding of our movement, has been victorious once more.
During our expansive discussions that started in your branches, in our Policy Conference and the commissions we had, we have defined the actions that we must take to confront the challenges of the present and the future.
On the 8th of January 1959, the great revolutionary Fidel Castro gave a rousing speech on his arrival in Havana following the victory of the Cuban revolution.
Addressing the Cuban masses he said:
"The people are greatly affected by whether we are going to make a good job of this revolution, or if we are going to make the same mistakes as in the last revolution, or the one before that, or the one before that.
"And so we will suffer the consequences of our mistakes, since there are no mistakes which do not affect the people, and no political mistake which does not have to be paid for, sooner or later."
As the ANC, we have made mistakes. And we have paid for them in many ways.
But even having found ourselves on the brink, we pulled ourselves back.
Because we know there is a greater task yet to be fulfilled, and that task is building a better South Africa that leaves no-one behind.
This Conference has reaffirmed that purpose and mission.
There is no other reason for the existence of this organisation than to unite, mobilise and serve the people of South Africa.
Let us be clear that there is no other reason for us to join the ANC and there is no other reason for us to seek or accept election to positions of leadership within its ranks other than to serve its people.
Consistent with this mission, the delegates to this Conference have discussed proposals that will accelerate radical social and economic transformation.
The deliberations and the conclusions from our Policy Conference have placed the needs and the interests of the people first, especially the working class and the poor.
We have outlined the steps that we must take to build an economy that serves all South Africans; an economy that bridges the huge gap between wealth and poverty, between privilege and disadvantage, between black and white, between men and women.
We have agreed to consider a combination of measures — which could be trade incentives, tax rebates and a compact with the private sector — to accelerate the rollout of mobile infrastructure and fibre in rural areas and township.
We are committed to supporting the economic development of rural areas through, among other things, working with traditional leaders to implement the Invest Rural Master Plan.
This Conference has expressed impatience at the pace of change and has given our deployees in government, in Parliament and legislatures and across society an instruction to act with extraordinary effort, urgency and purpose to implement these resolutions.
This Conference sets out the path to a society in which every child receives a quality education and in which every person has access to health care, regardless of their ability to pay.
Our deliberations set out the path towards comprehensive and sustainable social protection, and to the provision of affordable housing and basic services for all.
We have deliberated on the actions we must take to, once and for all, redress the original sin of land dispossession.
We have agreed on measures to accelerate land reform and provide support for the productive use of that land.
We undertake land reform not only because justice demands it, but because it is a necessary condition for the growth of an inclusive economy that can realise the potential of our plentiful natural resources and the capabilities of our people.
This Conference has prioritised the safety and security of the South African people.
We have outlined steps to further strengthen our police service and other law enforcement agencies, to improve the effectiveness of our criminal justice system and to improve the security of our borders.
We have reaffirmed that ours must be a police service and not a police force, and we have agreed to overhaul and harmonise our immigration laws to meet the new challenges facing the country.
Crime is a problem of society, and requires the mobilisation of all social formations, all communities and all individuals in a sustained effort to end it.
We must strengthen Community Policing Forums and coordinate more effectively the work of businesses, trade unions, community-based organisations, traditional leaders, women's organisations, youth organisations and faith-based organisations.
We must mobilise all of these formations to be an integral part of the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.
This Conference has provided guidance on the strengthening of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and provided clear direction to our structures and to our deployees in government on further steps necessary to end this pandemic.
Delegates have said that the future of our country demands that we prioritise the development and empowerment of young people.
In addition to the work already underway, we need to ensure equal access to high and tertiary education, and should establish more TVET colleges and technical high schools.
This Conference has reiterated our commitment to a better Africa and a better world.
This 55th National Conference has placed the position of women — both within the ANC and in society — firmly at the centre of our national election.
We must welcome the fact that three of the top seven Officials elected at this Conference are women.
This is great progress, but it is not enough.
We should not rest until we have achieved full equality in all structures of our movement — equality in terms of representation, of participation and of opportunity.
Our discussions at this 55th National Conference have taken a firm stand against corruption.
We have recognised that corruption within the ANC is a dire threat to the continued existence of our organisation and to the future of the National Democratic Revolution.
We have recognised the great progress that has been made over the last five years in tackling corruption within our ranks, within the State and across society.
But we have also acknowledged that we have not done enough to end corruption, to reverse the effects of state capture and to deal with its corrosive effects on the ANC and institutions across society.
We have said that government should consider the establishment of a vibrant and independent anti-corruption agency as a structure to address issues of corruption across the country.
We have stated our determination, as this 55th National Conference, to take all necessary actions to end corruption and patronage within the ANC.
We know from our recent experience that such actions can be difficult and painful.
We know that these actions may be met with opposition and that they may increase discord within our structures.
But, as this Conference has recognised, we have no choice — we either deal with corruption or we perish.
Comrades, While this 55th National Conference has paid great attention to the difficulties that confront our nation today, it has also looked towards the future.
Our discussions on Vision 2032, have positioned the ANC as the movement of tomorrow.
We have anticipate how our society and our world will change and we have had to envision the organisation that will be required to organise, to advance and to thrive in those circumstances.
We are not content to merely observe change that will unfold.
Vision 2030 is taking us along route of setting out a roadmap through which we will contribute to the direction and pace of social and economic change.
This roadmap will outline the work we must undertake — starting now — to make the ANC an ever more effective agent of fundamental transformation.
Comrades,
Five years ago, in this very hall, we set out on a journey of rebuilding, unity and renewal.
It has been a difficult journey. We have encountered many challenges.
At times, we have met fierce resistance. We made some errors along the way.
But we have remained true to the course of the restoration of our movement.
This 55th National Conference has confirmed that we are on the right path.
But more than that, this Conference has made a clear call for greater urgency and greater action.
Delegates have conveyed the view of the ANC members that they represent that we need to do much more and we need to do it much faster.
We need to resolve the load shedding that is causing so much turmoil in our country. We also need remove the obstacles to faster economic growth and job creation.
We need to act against those public representatives and officials who are delaying the vital reforms that we need to build a thriving economy.
We need to fix our schools and our hospitals, our roads and our water infrastructure.
We need to employ people because they are competent and committed, not because they are connected.
We must show no mercy for those who steal from the people, whoever they are and wherever they are.
This is the definitive mandate that has emerged from discussions at this Conference and we are bound by our commitment to the ANC and to the people to fulfil that responsibility.
We have come to the end of the first part of a successful 55th National Conference. We will adjourn this conference and hold the second and last part of this 55th National Conference on the 5 January 2023 on a hybrid format.
I wish to thank those people who have made this Conference possible — the management of NASREC, the Electoral Committee and the Elexions Agency, technical staff, marshalls, security officials and the many service providers, donors and exhibitors.
I wish to thank the media for their coverage of this Conference, ensuring that all South Africans have an opportunity to follow the proceedings of this important event in the life of our country.
I wish to thank our Alliance partners, representatives of civil society organisations, guests from fratemal parties and members of the diplomatic corps who have been with us over the past five days.
I wish to thank all our branch members, whose wishes and aspirations we had come here to represent.
For many months, throughout the country, tens of thousands of ANC members have been meeting in preparation for this Conference.
They have elected their delegates, nominated their leadership candidates and conducted extensive discussions on the policy priorities of the organisation.
In doing so, they have participated in a democratic process that is more extensive, more vibrant and more thorough than that of any other political formation in our country.
Lastly, I wish to thank you, the delegates, for having so diligently represented the mandate of your branches and structures.
I wish to commend you and to congratulate you for having placed our movement firmly on the path of fundamental renewal and rebuilding.
Returning to Comrade Fidel Castro's 1959 victory speech, he asked the gathered revolutionaries what they expected to achieve.
"Was it just ambition and a desire to command?
"Was it to take over the reins of power, just to be able to drive around in limousines, to own mansions and to live like kings?
"Or was it about self-sacrifice, about being willing to give up all and receive nothing in return?
"Was it about being ready to give up everything and continue on the austere path of the genuine revolutionary?"
As a movement we have at many points in recent times had to ask similar questions of ourselves.
What we hoped to achieve at this 55th National Conference was to unite our movement, to give momentum to the process of renewal and to recommit ourselves to serving the South African people.
We are emerging stronger as the ANC, but we know that our work is far from done.
Now, more than ever, history demands that each one of us demonstrates that the unity and renewal of our movement is an imperative.
This should give us that sense of duty to serve our people our country with no expectation of anything in return but to earn the confidence and trust of our people.
This 55th National Conference has affirmed what the people of this country believe and desire — that the ANC lives and the ANC leads.
Amandla.
Issued by the ANC, 20 December 2022
