The ANC’s economic policies are going to change, the party’s secretary general Gwede Mantashe told businessmen in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
However, these changes would involve ”retaining and building” on what had worked and changing what had failed, he said.
He said the changes would be based on an ”ideological shift”.
Since the ANC’s 52nd national conference in Polokwane in December 2007, the ruling party has been at pains to assure the business community that its policies will not change.
On Tuesday, Mantashe said the party was talking about ”continuity of change”.
Mantashe shared a platform with Wendy Luhabe, the chairperson of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), who is also the wife of former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa.
Shilowa resigned from the ANC with former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota in order to start a new party.
Last week Luhabe and the IDC denied claims by the ANC Youth League that Luhabe was directing some of its funds to her husband’s new political movement.
ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambo earlier accused Luhabe of ”abuse of power” of her IDC position to divert funds to the breakaway party.
Mantashe and Luhabe embraced and exchanged greetings when they arrived for the business forum, but the two sat apart.
Addressing the businessmen, Mantashe said their focus should not be on the split in the ANC, but rather on the challenges facing the country, which included poverty and unemployment.
Political leadership was central to South Africa meeting these challenges, but they could not be reduced to competition between political parties.
Work on poverty and unemployment had been going on for years, and could not be ”reduced to the moment”. – Sapa