NW ANC Chairperson Nono Maloyi said at the resumption of the ANC’s national policy conference virtually, at the Rustenburg Civic Center yesterday, he has brought to the table issues that affect people in the region such as water scarcity, mining rights and high unemployment rates:
“Each and every policy, which is going to be adopted today, in this conference must favour the North West firstly, and the country as a whole so we are here to ensure that we defend and protect the interest of the people of the North West,” said Maloyi.
“We have views on the step aside role, we have views on renewal, we have views on the constitutional amendments, we have views on the economic transformation, and I would like to spend some time on the economic transformation.
“North West is one of the provinces where you have a lot of Mineral Resources, most of the mine’s are here in Rustenburg, Platinum and so on. But if you look into the situation in the North West, the majority of our people are unemployed.
“I read a report which says the unemployment in the North West province is almost 52%. It’s quite disturbing, knowing that we have all these mines which are employing thousands and thousands of people. Then you ask yourself, who are these people, are they from this province and so on.
“But secondly, is the share-holding structure in those mines. Do we have people from the North West who are part of the shareholders and so on, are we benefiting as the North West from all those things.
“We also have views on the issues of water, you will recall that this December, it was a black Christmas for the people of the North West. Most of our people didn’t have water and they suffered because they didn’t enjoy this Christmas. So we are going to speak on those issues.
“When a report was presented earlier on strategy and tactics, one of the weaknesses which was identified was that if we don’t address certain issues, among those is the energy crisis, our people will punish us.
“We want to add the issue of challenges of water provision, because we must lift this thing of water otherwise our people are not going to vote for the ANC come 2024, ” stressed Maloyi.
Regarding the NW’s PEC decision to endorse Dr Zweli Mkhize instead of Cyril Ramaphosa at the conference, Maloyi said the Nasrec conference was not about the President, but it was about a collective, which is the national executive committee.
He said when they went to the conference they went to elect the national executive committee, starting with the Top 7 of which the President is part of.
“When we left the province, we said that the conference was a national conference, not a provincial conference. Now provinces when they go to a national conference, they discuss with other provinces, you will agree on certain issues, you don’t agree on certain issues, you persuade and must be persuaded.
“But that portion of electing a leadership is now over, we are done with that exercise, comrade Cyril Ramaphosa and the collective, have been elected, this is now the leadership of the ANC, all of us, we must rally behind that leadership, irrespective of the fact that others had different preferences, now all of are rallying behind that leadership, “said Maloyi.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has called on party members to exercise discipline as they start the second part of the party’s 55th national conference in the Free State.
“I call upon all of us to exercise patience as well as the understanding as we seek to interact with each other as delegates on an online platform and that in itself can cause many challenges.
“This may not be the most ideal way to conclude a conference but we are called upon to exercise discipline and to bring a conclusion to this historic conference,” he said.
Ramaphosa was delivering his opening remarks at the resumption of the conference, which saw him being elected as president for a second term and was adjourned last month.
Delegates also voted for the top seven leadership as well as the party’s national executive committee members at Nasrec in December.
