Speech by the ANC President Jacob Zuma at SACP Fundraising Dinner

Secretary General of the SACP,
Comrade Blade Nzimande,
Comrade Treasurer-General of the SACP,
Comrade Phumulo Masualle,
Leadership of the SACP, ANC and COSATU,
Captains of Industry,
Businesspeople,
Senior Government Officials,
Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening.

It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to be here to interact and share ideas with such a distinguished group of business, labour and government.

We as the ANC, Cosatu and SACP Alliance appreciate such interactions of direct communication.

Since the ANC held its elective conference in Polokwane in December, there have been many speculations, perspectives, opinions and views from all angles, with all types of analysis coming out all trying to make sense of what the Polokwane outcome means.

What has been the dominant discourse since our conference has been a perspective which seeks to say that the ANC is divided, the ANC is weak, there is an ANC in government and the ANC outside government, that we are at loggerheads and therefore this country is facing a serious crisis.

The fact is that most of the analysis is way off the mark, and is based on the attitudes and ideological perspectives of media institutions in our country.

We are now ensuring that we utilise all opportunities available to us to communicate with people, including forums such as these where we interact with various stakeholders as platforms where we can articulate the correct perspective about what is happening within the ANC or the Alliance in general.

We cannot afford to allow others to interpret our decisions in ways that favour their interests.

The fact of the matter regarding the state of the ANC is the following:

* The ANC emerged out of the conference united behind the leadership that was democratically elected,
* The ANC emerged united behind a common programme of action and goals,
* The ANC emerged with its vision, strategies and tactics still intact,
* The ANC emerged determined to lead the people of South Africa to a better life, free of poverty and unemployment,
* The ANC emerged clear about the need to strengthen our economy, so that it creates sustainable jobs and eradicate unemployment,
* The ANC emerged with a clear message which we have been advocating since then, we are saying there is unity in our movement, which exists and can be seen by all within the ANC structures,
* The ANC is not just determined to win next year's elections, it is determined to win them convincingly and decisively, with an overwhelming majority as we have always done.

I must also emphasise that the ANC is in good hands as the leadership collective is made up of tried and tested cadres of the movement. It is united and strong; it is ready for the elections next year. Our country is also in good hands, it is run by competent cadres deployed by of our movement in government.

In preparing for elections and a new administration next year, we will ensure that the transition is handled with care, dignity and with the interests of the people at heart. We are working together with comrades deployed in government on this matter.

We will not shy away from making correct decisions in fear that they will be interpreted otherwise. We will continue to make critical interventions where we see that service delivery is affected. Our people come first. We will also make strategic interventions to eradicate factionalism and other negative tendencies nationally. We are doing this to create a well-managed and well-functioning, effective ANC.

Ladies and gentlemen, while busy with organisational renewal and building a stronger ANC, we also continue with our responsibility to ensure that our country continues in its developmental path.

It is our role is to ensure that we facilitate the growth of our economy in such a way that it benefits the largest majority of our people, especially the poorest of the poor.

Young people, women and ordinary workers must begin to see the fruits of our freedom, and should also enjoy the benefits of a thriving economy. We cannot afford to have an economy that benefits just a few.

Our focus over the last few years has been on transforming our economy to address poverty and create a better life for our people.

We have made progress in this regard since the ANC came into power. We managed first to halt the decline of the economy, and then to turn the economy around. We have recorded consistent uninterrupted economic growth. We have achieved remarkable levels of macroeconomic stability, tackled the budget deficit, and significantly reduced the cost of servicing our public debt.

We will continue to support the Broad-Based-Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) as long as it benefits the majority and not a few, and allows for an entry of new players who were previously disadvantaged into the economy. That is what our resolution in Polokwane maintains.

The large construction work that is taking place in every corner of our country in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and beyond is geared towards ensuring that the economy of the country grows and thrives, so that it can create jobs and eradicate poverty.

We will continue to build telecommunications infrastructure, roads and ports infrastructure, as well as railways and airfreight infrastructure. The role of government in attracting foreign direct investments (FDI's), will continue, because for investors to come into our country they need these systems to be in place.

Today, more South Africans have access to housing, water, electricity, sanitation, telephones, education and health care than ever before.

Going forward, we have a clear programme of action for the next five years, adopted at our December conference. We will consolidate the gains we have made.

We will in the next five years invest resources more vociferously in social transformation and the improvement of service delivery. We have to intensify the fight against poverty as our people need to see the gains of freedom in a more meaningful manner.

The ANC social transformation programme states clearly that we must improve housing, clean water and sanitation, good quality education, access to land for settlement as well as agricultural, good quality healthcare, social welfare and create safer communities.

Another key component of our social transformation programme is investment in education and skills development. Our people need free and compulsory education at least up to first degree level at university.

As you would be aware, we announced in the January 8 statement that we would be running a national literacy campaign to teach 4, 7 million South Africans basic literacy and numeracy by 2012. The target for this year is 80 000 and our government is forging ahead with the programme in earnest.

Our country needs a literate adult population that will better participate in democratic processes and in the job market. We urge business to partner with us in these initiatives by investing in their employees through mentorship, learnerships and other development programmes.

We must also grow the economy so that it can create more decent and sustainable jobs. Basically ladies and gentlemen, the country is on the right path. We have a clear idea of where we want to go, and what we want to achieve over the next five years. We urge you as business to partner with the ANC Alliance on this path, as we cannot achieve much without working with other sectors.

I thank you.