"I've tried my best. I bear no grudge. You are my comrades. It has been a real honour and privilege to lead this glorious movement. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
President Jacob Zuma has delivered what is undoubtedly his last political report as ANC president.
Speaking before thousands of delegates at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Joburg, Zuma said "standing here I'm waiting for one leader to emerge who i will call my president.
"I've met all of them and I've worked with all of them. We agreed that they should promote unity and abide by the outcome of the conference.
"We must unite behind the leadership collective that we elect here.
"The movement must be a winner and not the individuals," said Zuma.
Zuma had listed factionalism, gate keeping and infighting as the things killing the movement.
He said ANC leadership spent most of their time visiting provinces to fix these things instead of focusing on the movement.
He also said that slate politics has cost the ANC "good and many comrades".
He lashed out at those taking ANC to courts calling them ill-disciplined.
"Ill-discipline has continued to afflict the ANC. Members are now also publicly challenging the organisation.
"Some voted with the opposition. There should be consequences to any member who speaks against the ANC in public."
Furthermore, Zuma lashed NGOs, saying some of them exists only to fight the ANC.
He didn't spare the media, saying "forces hostile to the ANC control the means of communication".
Advising, delegates, Zuma told delegates to protect ANC from "corporate greed and make sure our decisions are not dictated by business interest".
"Already we have been told ANC will implode if certain individuals who are not favoured by business win.
"Once ANC has made a choice, respect the choice and agree to be led. Unite the ANC and unite SA.
"We can't entertain this things that are foreign in the movement," said Zuma.
He said ANC must promote black success and fight against anything aiming to undermine this.
"We need to reflect on this in our discussions," he told delegates.
He mentioned that the ANC had lost the lost metros in the municipal elections because of a people said "We are soft on corruption, we are self serving.
"All this began to take toll on the movement."
