President Jacob Zuma should not spend one more day as head of state‚ according to ANC veteran Sydney Mufamadi.

“We don’t know why he should stay for one more day after this conference. He knows he has got nothing of value to add towards what the ANC is trying to do‚” Mufamadi said on Radio 702 on Wednesday

He said the ANC needs to be the organisation that earned the respect of people prior to Zuma’s tenure.

He said the elective conference‚ which is currently under way in Nasrec‚ was a “golden” opportunity to break free from the Jacob Zuma “stranglehold”.

“This is an opportunity to make a fresh start‚ to intertwine the ANC once more into all these organisations (Cosatu‚ SACP) and civil society that have a role to sensitise the ANC to the issues bothering our people‚ issues that must be taken on board when formulating policy‚” Mufamadi said.

He added that there was no basis for ANC members to stand on opposing sides when they should be dealing with problems affecting the party.

“There is no basis for people to be standing on opposing corners on issues which we as stalwarts and veterans of the ANC diagnosed as problems that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Asked if he thought newly elected ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa would work well with Free State premier Ace Magashule‚ who has been elected secretary general of the party and is known to be a Zuma supporter‚ Mufamadi said: “I know Cyril’s disposition is to work with anybody who wants to make a contribution to our common effort to transform our country into a zone of development‚ peace and progress.

“I know that that’s what Cyril wants‚ so I think he will extend a hand to everybody‚ it’s up to them to decide whether they want to work with him.”

[Source: Times Live]