Karima Brown
3 December 2008
Johannesburg — AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma is pushing the envelope in and outside his party by provoking debate on critical social issues such as crime, teenage pregnancies and how to deal with corruption in the ANC.
In an interview with Business Day after the ANC's manifesto conference at the weekend, Zuma said those who accused him of raising issues outside of ANC policy positions did not understand democracy.
"I am a firm democrat. There can be no issue that cannot and should not be debated," he said, especially on matters such as crime and teenage pregnancies.
"In my travels across the country and especially in the rural areas far away from the intellectuals, people are raising these matters. In many places these people have not even heard of the constitution and what it says," Zuma said.
He was responding to a question about whether he was walking on a tightrope on some of the remedies people are proffering, which include taking away some of the rights of criminals in an effort to stem the scourge of crime.
Zuma has also been criticised for pandering to conservatives on how to deal with young girls who fall pregnant and become a drain on the elderly who are often left to care for them and their offspring.
"In my culture mothers do not talk to their daughters about sex, that is the role of older girls. The reality is that sex happens from an early age and we need to come up with solutions that work," he said.
Zuma acknowledged that everyone had a role to play and said those responsible for sex education had to acknowledge the role of religious bodies in fighting social problems such as HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancies.
He said while religious leaders had to concede the need to have sex education in schools, those working in these areas also needed to tailor their messages, taking into account and incorporating the cultures and traditions in various communities .
"We are all responsible for coming up with solutions. It's no use saying some things can't be debated because we don't like what people are saying. We all have to talk and find answers."
Zuma also criticised detractors who accuse him of promoting policies that are not ANC policies. He said the ANC was always guided by the country's constitution, but this did not mean that people could not raise issues.
At a recent religious summit Zuma reaffirmed that he was a messenger for the party and was speaking on behalf of the ANC, a point to which he returned in the interview .
"In the ANC we debate and we discuss matters. That is our culture. There is no one that has all the answers," he said.
Not one afraid to ruffle feathers, Zuma is also pushing for some serious stock-taking within the ANC itself. ANC politicians needed to be insulated from tender and all adjudication processes as a way of preventing ANC-elected officials to abuse their posts.
"Many in the ANC see their election as branch chairpersons as the first step on the ladder to access lucrative tenders. This has to stop," he said.
He acknowledged it would be an uphill battle to push for a change on issues relating to ANC leaders making decisions on business deals when in office.
"We can't stop people from doing business but we can and must insulate them from tender processes to stop corruption in the ANC and the state."
'In the ANC we debate and we discuss matters. That is our culture. There is no one that has all the answers'
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