Acting Provincial Chairperson, Cde David Makhura,

Members of the National Executive Committee,

Members of the Provincial Executive Committee,

Leadership of the ANC Women's League, Veterans League and the Youth League,

Leadership of our Alliance Partners, the SACP, COSATU and SANCO,

Representatives of the YCL, SASCO and COSAS,

Delegates,

Comrades and Friends,

I convey revolutionary greetings to you all on behalf of the National Executive Committee of our movement, the African National Congress.

Just two days ago we celebrated the centenary of the birth of one of the most outstanding revolutionaries born of our people and nurtured by our movement, uTata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

The centennial celebrations in our country and far beyond our shores confirm that Nelson Mandela truly belongs to the world; his actions will echo across the generation, strangers will hear his name and know at once how bravely he fought and how fiercely he loved freedom.

As members of the ANC, indeed as citizens of South Africa, we need embrace the values by which Madiba lived.

We must embrace these values of Nelson Mandela not because we seek to become global icons ourselves, but because we joined his movement, the ANC, genuinely to make our contribution to the efforts to build a better country, a better continent and a better world.

I am encouraged that the theme of this 13th Provincial Conference of Gauteng is itself inspired by Madiba's values of unity, integrity and service.

While Madiba embodied these values, they are central to the mission and character of the ANC.

They are enshrined in the oath that each of us takes on becoming a member of the African National Congress.

At this critical moment of renewal and winning back the confidence of our people, we are reminded of the oath every member of the ANC ought to take upon being accepted as a member.

In the oath, we declare that we are joining the organisation voluntarily and without motives of material advantage or personal gain.

We pledge that we will work towards making the ANC an even more effective instrument of liberation in the hands of the people, defend the unity and integrity of the organisation and its principles, and combat any tendency towards disruption and factionalism.

The people of South Africa need to see this pledge reflected in our words and actions.

They need to feel it in their daily lives as we work alongside them to improve their living conditions and transform their communities.

This Conference needs to pay attention to the relationship between the ANC structures and communities.

We must measure the strength of an ANC branch not by how many members it has or how many delegates it sends to Conference, but by how centrally it is involved in the life of the community.

This extends to the role of branch members in their communities.

In their daily lives, they must be seen as examplary, as people who contribute and make a meaningful difference.

They should be active in community structures like Ward Committees, Clinic Committees, Hospital Boards, School Governing Bodies and Community Policing Forums.

They should be supporting NGOs, CBOs and faith based organisations and working with them to advance local development.

This Conference needs to reflect on whether this is the case in Gauteng.

The 2016 local government elections, in which we saw a dramatic decline in support for the ANC, suggests that the ANC is not fulfilling people’s expectations.

The results revealed much about the presence of our organisation in communities and its responsiveness to the needs and concerns of the electorate.

Delegates to this conference must honestly assess the extent to which our own weaknesses contributed to the decline in electoral support, even among our traditional supporters.

In doing this, we must not tear each other apart, but we must speak the truth without fear or favour with the sole intention to self-correct.

Just as we claim and celebrate victories as a collective, so shall we take collective responsibility for our weaknesses.      

Our process of introspection, which may at times be painful, must be undertaken in a manner that safeguards the unity of our movement.

Everything done at this conference must be aimed at renewing our movement and restoring the confidence of our people in it.

We must emerge out of this conference certain that we have put behind us once and for all the negative tendencies that serve only to create a distance between us and the people.

Our people must have confidence that we have listened to their concerns and are now firmly on the path of renewal.

Never again must our people believe that as we gather here, we are interested only in fighting for positions of leadership.

Conference must be firm against all foreign practices which erode the confidence of our people in the ANC such as the manipulation of processes, gate-keeping, bulk-buying of membership, and even violence.

The ANC’s 54th National Conference in December set the organisation on a path of renewal.

It is our shared responsibility to give expression to that renewal here in Gauteng.

It must start with the individual member and with each and every branch.

And it must extend into all our activities and into the way we conduct ourselves in government.

Comrades,

The economic emancipation of all our people is a responsibility that history has placed on our shoulders and we dare not fail.

This Conference must determine what practical measures we need to take to make this a reality.

At the top of our minds must be those of our people who remain unemployed, who are denied the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the mainstream economy of our country.

Gauteng is a major destination for investment.

It is our responsibility to leverage the infrastructure, skills and capacity that the province has to attract even greater investment, both from within the country and internationally.

We need to ensure that this investment benefits our people through the creation of jobs, particularly for the youth.

To do so, we need to pay attention to the spatial development of the province, ensuring that investment is made in the areas where our people live.

We also need to bring our people, particularly the poor and working class, closer to economic centres.

We applaud the work being undertaken by the provincial government to provide people with land for housing in the major urban areas.

In addition to the construction of suitable housing in well-located areas, we should also be providing people with service sites so that they can build their own structures.

We should continue and accelerate the process of providing people with title deeds as part of our efforts to redistribute land and to tackle asset poverty.

Delegates must discuss how the idea of radical economic transformation can be realised at a grassroots level where they come from.

Members of the ANC and Alliance should play a supportive role in local infrastructure projects, ensuring their smooth implementation and ensuring that they benefit local communities.

These projects provide much needed temporary jobs, which give relief and income to many in our communities.

Radical economic transformation means taking steps to ensure all project targets are reached in order to benefit local people.

We must act decisively against those within our ranks involved in activities that disrupt these projects.

By the same measure, our members should desist from becoming part of violent local protests because they undermine the stability of our democracy, cause damage to property and breed conflict.

Our members should rather be in the forefront of seeking solutions to community problems.

This is important because our people are looking to this conference not for ideological pronouncements, but for clarity on how their lives will change for the better.

We would have failed if we do not emerge out of this conference with clear answers on how the pace of delivery will be accelerated and access to basic services improved.

I have every the confidence that we will not fail, that we will come out of the Conference more united and stronger; ready to tackle the challenges ahead and ever more committed to work with our people to create a better life for all.

I wish this conference every success.

I thank you.

Amandla!

Matla!