President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
In what some would consider an uncharacteristic move, President Cyril Ramaphosa took a firm stance against racism while delivering the ANC’s 8 January statement on Sunday, urging those who are preconditioned towards racist tendencies to pack up and go.
Ramaphosa delivered a sharply worded statement full of promises to act urgently and decisively to correct the ills the country is grappling with.
He first took aim at racist South Africans, including the white men who dominated local and international news in December after they assaulted two black boys and demanded that they leave a pool at a hotel in the Free State.
Ramaphosa invited the two boys as his honoured guests to the ANC’s 111th birthday celebrations at the Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium in Mangaung.
The newly re-elected ANC president said that South Africa did not want racists.
“If you want racists, South Africa is not the country [for you]. If you want to practise racism we will make sure you feel the might of the law because South Africa will never ever allow racism to reign in our country again — as Nelson Mandela, the father of our democracy, said.”
Ramaphosa praised the two boys for standing up for themselves during the incident, which he called shameful.
“It was a shameful act to see an old white male trying to throttle these young men and to drown them in a pool. A most shameful act to try to perpetrate against young men like these. We cannot be afraid of white men. They don’t have the power anymore,” Ramaphosa said.
He also made a firm commitment towards uprooting corruption in the ruling party, saying urgent steps must be taken to improve the capacity of law enforcement agencies and other institutions of the criminal justice system which had been weakened by state capture and corruption.
Ramaphosa said there would be no exceptions in dealing with those implicated or involved in corrupt activities, adding that they would be subjected to the rules of the ANC.
“To address issues of corruption within its ranks and to enhance the integrity of the organisation, the 55th national conference has reaffirmed the step-aside guidelines, strengthening of the integrity commission and the ANC disciplinary structures and processes,” he said.
“The ANC calls for the speedy implementation of the recommendations of the commission of inquiry on state capture. Those implicated by the commission in acts of corruption and fraud must be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted. This is in addition to the ANC’s own commitment to implementing those recommendations of the commission that are relevant to the organisation.”
Taking shots at his detractors, the ANC president said the ruling party’s renewal process was irreversible and irrevocable. He added that the December conference, which elected him along with some of his allies to the top-seven positions in the party, showed that renewal and unity were now unstoppable.
“It is going forward whether those who want to deter it or not want to do that, we are moving ahead. Renewal is no longer a choice, we all must be part of that renewal. That is why I say, like it or not, we will all have to join this programme because it’s the only one that can lead us forward,” he said.
Ramaphosa also addressed the country’s economic challenges, singling out the ongoing electricity crisis which has seen power utility Eskom forced to implement rolling blackouts. The president noted that energy was the driver of economic growth.
“To further reduce stress on the national grid, the government and Eskom must enforce demand management measures to reduce electricity consumption and ensure available energy is directed to areas and sectors of priority, including support for health and educational institutions and municipal infrastructure,” he said.
He added that the ruling party would lead a campaign against illegal connections — which is placing an added burden on communities — to eliminate load reduction and called on all South Africans to join energy-saving measures to alleviate pressure on the national grid.
“We will continue implementing the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 which includes the procurement of over 18 000MW of new generation capacity,” Ramaphosa said.
He expressed outrage at the poor state of local governance, including in the Mangaung metro where the 8 January celebrations were held.
“The collapse of many municipalities has had a devastating impact on citizens who must on a daily basis deal with sewage spills, water shortages, uncollected garbage, countless potholes, unmaintained cemeteries, and inaccurate billing,” he said.
The ANC conference had resolved to strengthen the political and administrative institutions to deliver on their mandate by building effective integrated planning and service delivery systems, he said.