President Jacob Zuma on Sunday said South Africa is headed for a second major transition - this time focusing on social and economic transformation.

He was speaking at the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) policy conference in Boksburg, Johannesburg.

Zuma said the ANC national policy conference in December will address current challenges faced by the country, which include social and economic matters.

The president urged workers to get involved in politics, and have their ideas heard ahead of the second transition. 

He said in the past, the focus was on tackling apartheid, but said the country now faces different challenges.

Zuma said the economy has not created enough jobs at the right pace and that levels of unemployment and poverty are too high.

Ending his speech by singing Umshini Wam’,  He reiterated that members of its alliance partners - the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) - need to be prepared to share their views and ideas on how to improve the social situation in the country.

Meanwhile, the opposition party's Cape Town Metro chairperson Grant Pascoe said it was important the Democratic Alliance (DA) upheld democracy within the party to ensure the Western Cape was governed effectively.

Pascoe was re-elected to his post on Saturday, during the party's elective conference.  More than 200 delegates attended.

The chairman said the DA is now gearing up for the 2014 national elections.

“We’re going to build on the successes of the past and build for the future”.

He added that the party wants to grow its national and local base in the next year.

(Edited by Thato Motaung)