African National Congress(ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa has warned his party members that they are facing an existential crisis. He said this while addressing them at the 113th anniversary celebration at Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha on Saturday, January 11, 2024.
He told party members that the election results indicate that the party’s existence is under threat. “The 2024 election results confirm that we face an existential crisis, this is a moment wherein the ANC should either renew or perish. We must do much more work, with greater urgency and determination. The cornerstone of our renewal agenda therefore remains building our movement’s capacity to discharge its historical mission,” said Ramaphosa.
Thousands of people thronged the rally, which was attended by ANC heavyweights, including Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, and National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, among others. Ramaphosa said he was in Delft when one ANC member told him that branches were dysfunctional. He said to renew the party there is a need to develop branches as centres of development that listen to citizens and address their challenges.
Ramaphosa also told the crowd that the party is being attacked by “counter-revolutionary forces” which are attacking it from within. Some of the strategies being used by such forces, include promoting break-away parties to erode the support of the party.
“Some of these parties masquerade as more radical than the ANC, but their revolutionary sounding rhetoric cannot hide the reality that they have common cause with the forces opposing transformation,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said as the party they have set themselves towards fixing local government and ensuring water and energy security. He also told the crowd that this year, the government will work towards speeding up inclusive growth to create jobs. The ANC president said crime is robbing South Africans of the gains of freedom and the government will strengthen the fighting against crime.