A leader needs enough understanding to fashion an intelligent strategy.

We know that leadership is very much related to change. As the pace of change accelerates, there is naturally a greater need for effective leadership.

Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.

Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better.

I am calling an early special conference to resolve the leadership question in a democratic fashion so that our annual Party Conference in July will be able to focus solely on mapping the way forwards towards an IFP victory in the 2009 general election.

We need to do a better job of understanding who it is we seek to serve, what their particular needs are -- and if we do that well, we can align our resources more appropriately,