President Jacob Zuma opened the ANC’s policy conference at Nasrec on Friday‚ delivering a speech that sought the middle ground in some of the more controversial areas of recent policy debate‚ but was less shy about tackling opposition parties and his detractors within his own party.
Here are some of the key areas he touched on:
- Economy: Zuma emphasised the need for growth‚ and warned that even the low target of 1.3% growth was in danger. But he said one of the reasons for SA’s economic doldrums was ANC leaders and members who spoke negatively about the party in public.
- State capture: the debate about the capture of the state required a thorough analysis of the South African economy in order to be understood it the correct context‚ Zuma said. Access to state power and resources by some in the party had led to perceptions and allegations that the ANC was corrupt.
- Detractors: Zuma took a swipe at those calling for him to step down‚ saying they had no powers to make such a call. He also said the stalwarts who had spoken out against him were not “as strong as they think”.
- Courts: the president bemoaned opposition parties’ use of courts to oppose government decisions‚ but also said it should concern the ANC that the courts kept having to direct the government to implement its own policies better.
- State-owned enterprises: SOEs were a strategic instrument of a developmental state‚ Zuma said‚ and needed to be pushed to a level where they could achieve their mission. This included improving their performance and governance.
- Land: Zuma said it was possible “to find radical solutions to land hunger‚ working within the ambit of the law and the Constitution”. He again refrained from saying the Constitution should be changed to allow for land expropriation without compensation.
- Media freedom: Zuma praised the country’s media freedom‚ saying his party advocated the promotion of journalists’ rights‚ but made no mention of the shocking incidents of Thursday‚ when SABC Eight member Suna Venter was found dead‚ and members of the Gupta-linked Black First Land First harassed Tiso Blackstar editor-at-large Peter Bruce outside his home and assaulted Business Day editor Tim Cohen.
- BusinessLIVE
Seven things Jacob Zuma said at Nasrec
Here are some of the key areas he touched on:
- Economy: Zuma emphasised the need for growth‚ and warned that even the low target of 1.3% growth was in danger. But he said one of the reasons for SA’s economic doldrums was ANC leaders and members who spoke negatively about the party in public.
- State capture: the debate about the capture of the state required a thorough analysis of the South African economy in order to be understood it the correct context‚ Zuma said. Access to state power and resources by some in the party had led to perceptions and allegations that the ANC was corrupt.
- Detractors: Zuma took a swipe at those calling for him to step down‚ saying they had no powers to make such a call. He also said the stalwarts who had spoken out against him were not “as strong as they think”.
- Courts: the president bemoaned opposition parties’ use of courts to oppose government decisions‚ but also said it should concern the ANC that the courts kept having to direct the government to implement its own policies better.
- State-owned enterprises: SOEs were a strategic instrument of a developmental state‚ Zuma said‚ and needed to be pushed to a level where they could achieve their mission. This included improving their performance and governance.
- Land: Zuma said it was possible “to find radical solutions to land hunger‚ working within the ambit of the law and the Constitution”. He again refrained from saying the Constitution should be changed to allow for land expropriation without compensation.
- Media freedom: Zuma praised the country’s media freedom‚ saying his party advocated the promotion of journalists’ rights‚ but made no mention of the shocking incidents of Thursday‚ when SABC Eight member Suna Venter was found dead‚ and members of the Gupta-linked Black First Land First harassed Tiso Blackstar editor-at-large Peter Bruce outside his home and assaulted Business Day editor Tim Cohen.
- BusinessLIVE
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