Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has warned against ill-discipline and factionalism in the ANC during his opening address at the party’s policy conference in Johannesburg.

Zuma took swipes at African National Congress leaders who he said had become primary conveyors of negative information about their own movement.

“We need to look at the issue of ill-discipline in various forms, including public utterances, attacking the movement by ANC leaders and members, instead of handling matters within the organisation and finding solutions within the organisation.”

This “irresponsible perpetual negative messaging by our own people has a negative impact on the economy”, Zuma said.

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He said the conference needed to discuss how to balance self-criticism with a need to protect the organisation and provide leadership.

“We need a space to resolve problems in a more organised manner.”

Zuma also suggested that those speaking out against the ANC were furthering certain interests and agendas.

He cautioned ANC delegates against, what he said was, the cancer of factionalism.

“Slate politics [is] another manifestation of factionalism,” Zuma said, adding that slates had cost the ANC many good and capable members.

Zuma called for unity during the party’s fifth policy conference.

He said discussions should be informed by unity, which was the rock upon which the ANC had been founded.

“We were taught this by the founding leaders of the movement. Unity must be the thread that keeps this movement and our country together.”

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