As the ANC celebrates its 100 years of existence, President Jacob Zuma says the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality has been identified as needing attention.

Addressing thousands of ANC supporters who had gathered at Free State Stadium for the organisation’s centenary celebration, Zuma said it was the right moment to pause and ponder the future of South Africa and of the ANC over the next 100 years.

“Principally, Africans, women and youth continue to carry a disproportionate burden of the challenges. Over the next decade, both the ANC and all organs of State shall pay a single-minded and undivided attention in order to overcome these triple challenges,” said Zuma.

He also said during his address that the country’s education and training system should be the cornerstone of all efforts to radically transform South Africa and build a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united and prosperous society.

“As we move into the future, we shall invest hugely in, and elevate the importance of theoretical and ideological work, as well as a scientific approach to analysing and solving society's problems.”

He said that the difficult questions about the future of the country must be asked and answered.

“During this year, 2012, our nation must renew our determination to build a South Africa founded on the principles of the Freedom Charter and our democratic Constitution. We must bring new energy and new ideas into the kind of society we want to build over the next few decades,” he said.

Zuma further called on all South Africans to work with the ANC to make the dream of a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa a reality in our lifetime.