I won’t change constitution â€" Jacob Zuma

Apr 19, 2009

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s ruling ANC leader Jacob Zuma said yesterday his party had no plans to change the country’s constitution and made a plea for unity at a final campaign rally ahead of this week’s election.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s ruling ANC leader Jacob Zuma said yesterday his party had no plans to change the country’s constitution and made a plea for unity at a final campaign rally ahead of this week’s election.

The ANC faces its biggest challenge in the Wednesday national and provincial elections since coming to power when apartheid ended in 1994.

Zuma told tens of thousands of supporters who packed two sports stadiums in Johannesburg the ANC had used its parliamentary majority responsibly.

“In 15 years that the ANC has been in power, the ANC has never used its electoral mandate to change the constitution and it has no intention of doing so,” he said.

He said the ANC will work towards reducing the impact of the global financial crisis on the country and its people.

“We will forge partnerships to reduce job losses, and ensure that our economy has a solid foundation for renewed growth once the recovery begins.”

The ANC has promised to do more to bring economically disadvantaged blacks into the mainstream economy through land reform and affirmative action. But Africa’s biggest economy is on the brink of recession. Unions are pushing Zuma to spend more on the poor, while foreign investors crucial for growth fear he will steer the economy to the left.

The ANC campaign was given a boost by Nelson Mandela attending the final rally yesterday. The 90-year-old former president was driven into the stadiums in a golf cart to cheers from the fans.

“As we try to secure a decisive victory in the upcoming elections we must remember it is to eradicate poverty and ensure a better life for all,” Mandela said in a pre-recorded message.

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