President Jacob Zuma Congratulates President Cyril Ramaphosa As New ANC President

President Jacob Zuma has congratulated the new President of the African National Congress, Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa and his leadership collective, the National Executive Committee and Officials  as elected by the 54th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

“I wish to heartily congratulate Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa for his election to lead this giant movement of our people, the African National Congress. With Comrade President Ramaphosa and his leadership collective, lies the aspirations of our people in South Africa, the region and the continent, the majority of whom are black and poor. We therefore wish the leadership collective all the best in taking our country forward through the policies and programmes of the ANC,” said President Zuma.

The National Conference also elected as Officials, Comrades David Mabuza as Deputy President, Gwede Mantashe as National Chairperson, Ace Magashule as Secretary-General, Jessie Duarte as Deputy Secretary-General and Paul Mashatile as the Treasurer-General.

According to a media statement, former ANC President Zuma has also “noted with content” that the spirit of unity displayed throughout the conference was carried into the election of the leadership collective to take the National Democratic Revolution forward.

“There was no winner or loser in the election of leaders but the ANC was the clear winner,” he added.

President Zuma has also thanked and congratulated all the delegates to the 54th National Conference for the outstanding discipline and determined manner in which they conducted themselves and the business of the ANC at the conference.

“The delegates have shown yet again that there is no task bigger than the ANC. But most importantly, they have demonstrated that the unity of the ANC is sacrosanct.

“I am also certain that the policies as adopted by the conference will lead South African to prosperity through the programme of Radical Socio-Economic Transformation and a renewed onslaught on the challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” President Zuma said.

One of the policies adopted at the ANC conference was to accelerate the land reform programme and rural development as part of the ANC’s programme of radical socio economic transformation.

Ramaphosa said least night in his closing address at the national conference: “The issue of land has been a matter of great concern to our people whose land was taken from them…

“This Conference has resolved that the expropriation of land without compensation should be among the mechanisms available to government to give effect to land reform and redistribution.”

Perhaps cognisant of problems experienced by Zimbabwe, Ramaphosa added: “It has also resolved that in determining the mechanisms of implementation, we must ensure that we do not undermine the economy, agricultural production and food security.”

Watch Jacob Zuma’s reaction to Cyril Ramaphosa being elected ANC leader.