I love my country: Zuma

·10 Dec 2015

President Jacob Zuma has defended his recent comments that the African National Congress (ANC) comes before country.

Zuma said there was no reason to retract his statement, made at the ANC Provincial Conference last month.

In a written reply to Parliamentary questions, in the National Assembly on Thursday (9 November), Zuma said: “The statement I made does not devalue the Constitution of the Republic in any way, nor does it contradict the Oath of Office which I took when I was sworn in as the President of the Republic of South Africa.”

“I made the statement that the ANC comes first at an ANC Provincial Conference in my capacity as the President of the ANC,” the president said.

He said that since its founding in 1912 the ANC has been at the forefront of the struggles to defeat apartheid colonialism, and since its election into power in 1994, to liberate South Africans from the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

He said he joined the ANC to contribute to the achievement of its historic mission of building a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic society.

He said that considering that a large number of citizens have put their faith and hopes on the ANC to lead them to a better life for all, it is important that the work of building the political party into a stronger organisation that can continue to lead society, is vigorously pursued.

“There is therefore nothing wrong or untoward in saying the ANC comes first. It does not mean I love my country any less. It is in fact because of the love of my country and my commitment to its success that I believe that the ANC should be stronger so that it can lead us to a united and prosperous society,” Zuma said.