South Africa’s ruling African National Congress exists to serve the people of South Africa, and to serve the people today means that it must concentrate on achieving a higher economic growth path and the eradication of poverty, says President Thabo Mbeki.
In his regular online column, ANC Today, the president, however, expressed concern — ahead of planned municipal elections that must take place before March next year — that there are people mobilising ANC members to support them to be elected so that they can use state positions to extend patronage to those who supported them.
”These goings-on tell the naked truth that the ranks of our movement are being corrupted by a self-seeking spirit that leads some among us to view membership of our organisation as a stepping stone to access to state power, which they would then use corruptly to plunder the people’s resources for their personal benefit.
”If we permit this practice to become entrenched, we would guarantee both the destruction of the ANC and the rest of the progressive movement,” he warned.
The focus instead should be on achieving 6% economic growth in the longer term, said Mbeki, whose Cabinet this week endorsed a plan to grow the economy by at least 4,5% until 2010 and by 6% thereafter.
”I am convinced that we can and must achieve the higher growth and development rate that our government and its social partners are discussing, and thus help to create the wealth we need to meet the needs of the people.”
During the first 10 years of democracy, a ”firm base” was created ”for our country to realise this objective”.
”For our movement, the achievement of this goal is central to our obligation practically to demonstrate the honesty and seriousness of our commitment to the people, which we reaffirmed when we undertook that we would enter into a contract with them to create jobs and fight poverty.”
He noted that the business cycle has been in an upward phase for 71 months since September 1999, according to the South African Reserve Bank’s annual economic report for 2005. Business confidence in South Africa has climbed to the highest level this year, according to the South African Chamber of Business, noted the president. — I-Net Bridge