The African National Congress needs healing, party president Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

"Comrades, the mandate arising from the 52nd conference is clear...as a collective and through our structures we need to create a united ANC...We need to heal the ANC," he said.

Zuma earlier said that the party's new leadership would serve all ANC members irrespective of whom they had voted for.

"We cannot have a Zuma camp or an Mbeki camp. There is only one ANC. None among us is above the organisation or bigger than the ANC."

He said it was the party's "collective task" to repair the damage or harm that may have been caused in the run-up to the conference.

"Comrade Mbeki and I, both as members of the ANC first and foremost will develop smooth working relations between government and the ruling party, assisted by the leadership collective."

Zuma said economic policies adopted at the conference did not indicate a fundamental shift from the approach the party had followed since it came into power.

"There is therefore no reason why the domestic or international business community or any other sector should be uneasy," he said.

"I tried to calm these fears before the conference during my meetings with various business groupings at home and abroad."

Zuma said the ANC also remained fully committed to broad-based black economic empowerment.

"While encouraging the creation of a conducive environment for investment, we remain cautious not to compromise the national democratic revolution, which is our guiding philosophy in policy formulation and implementation," he said.

"We are also going to sharpen our policy instruments with a view to having a direct impact in the fight against poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.”

On crime, Zuma said this had been affecting economic growth as social stability.

Organised crime was a threat to the democratic order, and a counter-revolutionary force that needed to be eliminated.

"I therefore call on all ANC branches to actively lead, champion and facilitate crime prevention strategies," he said.

"We had street committees before. If we were able to defeat vigilantism and the apartheid system, what can stop us from defeating this ugly factor that has tainted our democracy?"

Turning to HIV/Aids, Zuma said all ANC structures should also actively take part in the fight against the disease.

"We must live up to our slogan and build a caring society that does not discriminate against those living with HIV and Aids, while working to prevent infections," he said.