JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the ANC’s 5th National General Council (NGC) with a light jab at the uncomfortably hot venue.
He joked that the rising temperature was not caused by “difficult debates” but by air conditioners' inability to work “at full blast.”
Once the laughter settled, Ramaphosa turned to a more serious political overview, warning that the party must urgently rebuild itself if it hopes to regain public trust.
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Ramaphosa reminded delegates that this year marks 70 years since the Freedom Charter, the document that promised a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa.
He said the ANC still has the responsibility to make that vision a reality.
He also repeated the party’s declaration of 2025 as the “year of renewal to make the ANC a more effective instrument of the people in achieving the vision of the Freedom Charter: that the people shall govern, and that the people shall share in the country's wealth.”
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In a self-reflective moment, Ramaphosa warned that the political landscape has shifted, adding that the ANC must be honest about whether its long-standing ideas, known as the National Democratic Revolution, still fit today’s realities.
“Understanding the implications of these complex realities is fundamental to repositioning the ANC and the broader alliance within the ongoing struggle for fundamental transformation. The balance of forces is always in motion, shifting both locally and globally,” he said.
In the same breath, Ramaphosa admitted that the tripartite alliance is under strain, and that the movement needs clearer thinking, discipline and firm leadership.
“The criminals, the corrupt, the careerists, extortionists, and factionalists, and those who actively work against the organisation should find themselves outside of the ANC,” he said.