Gauteng ANC chair Paul Mashatile says the provincial party must take its policies to the Mangaung electoral conference as a united group.
"We must articulate the policy positions we agreed to at this [provincial general council]," Mashatile told delegates at a special PGC in Alberton.
"However, we must be prepared to engage with other provinces on the positions we hold."
Mashatile asked Gauteng delegates to be disciplined and not to arrive at the conference in T-shirts which were not authorised by the ANC, to sing songs which insulted people, or to make hand gestures.
"You'll have the opportunity at the ballot box [to vote for your preferred leaders] … You will have the free and fair elections," said Mashatile.
ANC members who support President Jacob Zuma for a second term usually hold up two fingers, while those calling for change use the soccer sign which calls for a substitution.
Policy proposals
At its nomination conference at the end of last month, the Gauteng ANC nominated Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to lead the party.
It was holding a special PGC on Sunday to discuss its policy proposals ahead of the national conference.
Policies will be adopted at the ANC's 53rd conference which starts on December 16.
"We must be prepared to engage with other provinces on the positions we hold. We must be prepared to persuade and to be persuaded," said Mashatile.
"In all we do, we must ensure that the ANC emerges stronger, more united, more vibrant and more capable of leading the national democratic revolution."
Responsibility
Mashatile said the province was happy that the policy proposals it agreed on at its special PGC in June had been adopted at the national policy conference, especially the proposals on strategy and tactics and organisational renewal.
"Our responsibility is to ensure that these proposals find expression in the resolutions of the 53rd national conference.
"We have a responsibility to emerge … with radical policies and decisive action that will accelerate the pace of social and economic transformation."
Mashatile said the ANC had to renew its commitment to restore the party's core values which had kept it alive the past 100 years.Some of the main policies Gauteng would discuss were included in the papers on organisational renewal, economic transformation, social transformation, and legislature and governance.
"This PGC must reiterate that for the ANC to effectively lead the national democratic revolution (NDR) it needs to renew itself and be more vibrant so that it remains relevant to the changing conditions of struggle both locally and internationally," said Mashatile.
Part of this was investing in the ideological development of its members through the institutionalisation of political training and education.
Cadres with ability, competence
This was so the party could produce cadres with technical ability, competence, discipline and commitment to advance the goals of the NDR.
The ANC was dedicating the next decade to the cadre.
In terms of economic transformation, the ANC would continue to build a democratic mixed economy by strengthening the capacity of the state to work with the private sector and the rest of society, he said.
"We must also strengthen the work we are doing to attract foreign direct investment and strengthen domestic investment by the private sector."
Mashatile said the state had to continue to increase its investment in infrastructure to accelerate development.
Transport
Social transformation also had to be at the centre of the NDR.
"The ANC must therefore adopt bold and new ideas on how to lift the majority of South Africans out of poverty.
A developmental state needed to be created, he said.
"We must improve intergovernmental budgeting, planning, co-ordination and implementation, so that collectively our interventions can deliver maximum impact in the shortest time possible," said Mashatile. – Sapa