South African President Jacob Zuma (front) addresses the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the African National Congress (ANC) at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, SouthAfrica, on Jan. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday celebrated its 105th anniversary, vowing to overcome challenges to its unity.

"Today, our Movement faces serious challenges to its unity. Divisive tendencies such as factionalism, gatekeeping and manipulation of internal processes exist at all levels of the ANC, the ANC Leagues, the Alliance and the Mass Democratic Movement," the ANC said in a statement.

These tendencies inhibit its ability to give decisive leadership to society, the party said.

The party held a mass rally in Soweto, Gauteng Province to mark the event, with the participation of thousands of ANC supporters.

"The people have told us that we are too busy fighting each other and we do not pay sufficient attention to their needs. Our own research and interactions with members of the ANC demonstrate clearly that the people abhor the apparent preoccupation with personal gain," the ANC said.

South African people's main priorities are jobs, fighting crime and corruption, and the ANC's task is therefore to grow the economy, create jobs and rigorously fight crime and corruption, the party said.

"Above all, we must commit to the unity of the ANC and the only noble fight that we must engage in is a fight to serve the people and not ourselves!" said the ANC.

Public support for the ANC has dropped considerably these years mainly due to internal fighting and a series of corruption scandals. In the local elections last year, the party lost some major metropolitans to opposition parties such as Pretoria, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay, the greatest setback for the party since it took power in 1994.

"The ANC must unite so that we are able to unite the people against our common enemies -- unemployment, poverty and inequality," the party said.

ANC members must guard against distrust, which breeds disunity and has begun to creep into the party's broader body politic, the ANC said.

The conduct of some elected representatives in Parliament, various legislatures and other platforms illustrate that the various political parties seem to be unable to disagree without such disagreements descending into ugly and immature displays, the party said.

Leaders across the political divide must foster agreement around the need for all South Africans to unite for the sake of our country and our future, the party said.

"We can disagree as South Africans and still engage one another respectfully. The people elect us to represent them and their interests and we must perform these duties with honesty, integrity and mutual respect," said the ANC.