Cape Town - ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile has urged party members attending the provincial conference in Limpopo to come up with concrete proposals in their policy discussions, because time was not on their side.
He said people on the ground wanted tangible action from the ANC and they wanted it now.
Mashatile also said the conference must not be a festival of chairs, but a festival of ideas.
Party members must discuss policy proposals contained in the discussion documents.
The other conferences in the Eastern Cape and some regions have been marred by fights over credentials and other issues.
But Mashatile said the people wanted ANC members to focus on the job at hand, and that they must discuss policy.
He said there was no time to waste as people needed jobs, were facing hunger, and were in the jaws of poverty.
He said he was encouraged that members who are part of the conference will discuss policies.
This was the first provincial conference to sit after the ANC released its discussion documents.
The policy discussions must come up with concrete proposals to lift people out of poverty, said Mashatile.
“Time is not on our side, our people demand meaningful change and they demand it now. Comrades, as we sit in this conference we must remember that this is a year of unity and renewal.
“The task of uniting and renewing the ANC can no longer be postponed. It is our generational mission. We dare not fail,” said Mashatile.
He said the ANC needed to renew to gain the credibility of the people.
The party has in the past few years lost elections at national and local levels.
In its discussion documents, the ANC has acknowledged that its support in 2024 may drop below 50%.
Mashatile said members of the party must work with communities and not be aloof.
He also warned against being arrogant and said communities needed to be supported.
Political Bureau