There is no crisis in the African National Congress, the party’s deputy president Jacob Zuma told the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday.
”Many commentators and analysts would have you believe that there is a crisis in the ANC,” Zuma told the 12th national congress of the union at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. ”That is not so. There is no crisis in the ruling party.”
He said the ANC has always managed to face up to challenges and solve them.
”The ANC has survived this long because of its nature and it is not about to change because of opinions of commentators and analysts.”
Zuma said the ANC is not about individuals.
”The ANC is greater than individuals. No amount of speculation will change it from what it is. The ANC will survive long after all of us are gone, because of its nature.”
He said ”robust debate” between the ANC and its alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, is often seen as a sign of division.
This, Zuma said, is also not true.
”The alliance was important to greater society and has to be sensitive to new challenges. The opposition has nothing to offer to these new challenges.”
But the alliance debates these issues to find solutions, he said.
Zuma called on workers not to be confused by analysts and commentators. ”We must not allow people to try and change us.”
Tribalism and ethnicity should not have an impact on the choice of leaders. ”Tribalism and ethnicity is dangerous,” Zuma said.
He said he has a problem with it when people said he enjoys the support of Zulus. ”That is not true.”
Because his recent rape trial was held in Johannesburg, people came from KwaZulu-Natal to show their support for him. He said if he had been tried in a KwaZulu-Natal court, the ”myth” that only Zulus supported him would have been dispelled.
Zuma said he has never experienced in the ANC that support is divided along tribal or ethnic lines. ”People support the party because it is the ANC.”
He said he hopes that tribalism and ethnicity will not become factors in the presidential elections. ”I was taught by trade unions how dangerous tribalism is. It must be merit that counts.”
Zuma, casually dressed in a black polo-neck jersey and leather jacket, was given an uproarious welcome by the almost 1 000 delegates attending the congress.
Songs praising Zuma were sung and he ended his address with his signatory song Awulethu Umshini Wam (Give me my machine gun).
When he was introduced, outgoing NUM secretary general Gwede Mantashe said he had been asked by journalists why Zuma would be addressing the congress.
”We asked the ANC to send its president to address us. But, due to his duties as president of the country, President [Thabo] Mbeki is in Britain. In his absence, the ANC sent its deputy president, comrade Zuma.”
Mantashe said there seems to be a tendency that people are either pro-Zuma or pro-Mbeki.
”The NUM does not have this. We respect the ANC and the ANC’s views.” Turning to Zuma, he said: ”Comrade Zuma, we as mineworkers trust you.”
‘We are not Christians’
Meanwhile, on Tuesday the NUM’s president said the NUM does not adhere to the Ten Commandments of the Bible and does not need Christians to tell it that adultery is wrong.
”We are not Christians,” Senzeni Zokwana told the union’s 12th national congress being held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
”We don’t listen to the Ten Commandments and we don’t have to listen when Christians tell us adultery is wrong. We also don’t need Christians to tell us who our leaders should be.”
Referring to Zuma’s recent rape trial and opinions that Zuma should not become the country’s next president, Zokwana said NUM members will choose their leaders themselves.
He also lashed out at Mbeki who said he hoped the next president would be a woman.
It was easy to tarnish Zuma’s image and, while he was fighting to prove his innocence, call for a female president, he said.
”We can’t have people telling us that our president must be a woman,” Zokwana said. ”We will decide who our leaders must be.”
He said the ANC has become unrecognisable. ”This is not the ANC of Oliver Tambo. This is an ANC we do not know.”
Referring to Cabinet ministers who often undertake overseas trips, Zokwana said they must be ”called to order”.
He said they must stay in their own country to solve problems.
About a thousand delegates from all over the country are attending the congress, which ends on Saturday. — Sapa