The ruling African National Congress (ANC) must be decisive and fearless to tackle “difficulties facing the people” of South Africa as a priority, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.The president said this when he delivered the traditional January 8 Statement to thousands of ANC supporters in Mangaung, a suburb of Bloemfontein. 

January 8 marks the anniversary of the ANC’s formation in 1912.

Ramaphosa said the just-ended 55th ANC national elective conference acknowledged the need for the ruling party to build an outward-looking party with a clear programme that is responsive to the needs of the people.

“In this regard, all ANC structures must focus on putting people and solutions to their daily struggles first,” he said. 

He added: “The journey of renewal has to begin in earnest and become unstoppable and irreversible, so that we pay attention to and direct all our energies to the resolution of the pressing problems facing the people of South Africa.”

To achieve this, Ramaphosa said the ANC had identified five priorities to deal with the challenges.

These included, among others, introduction of initiatives and programmes to deepen the renewal of the ANC; implementation of a resolution to end South Africa’s power shortages; and the mobilisation of  social partners around economic reconstruction and recovery in order to increase job creation, investment and empowerment, he said.

Other priorities included improvement of delivery of basic services and maintaining infrastructure, and intensification of the fight against crime and corruption.

He told the supporters that the party had developed a nine-year roadmap to define the future of the ANC as it prepares for its 120th anniversary in 2032.