The Pan Africanist Congress’ (PAC) eighth national congress which will decide the leadership of the party for the next three years, starts in Umtata in the Eastern Cape on Friday.
PAC president Stanley Mogoba said on Thursday the congress was the supreme body of the party with regard to its policies and plans.
”In this particular one, we will look at the leadership for the coming next three years and also make plans for the coming national elections in 2004.”
Mogoba said the big challenge facing the party was to win the 2004 elections, adding that while the PAC did not do well in the national elections it had done better in local elections.
He said he had enjoyed good support from the party’s members during his period as party leader. On newspaper reports naming five people, including himself, as nominees for the presidency of the party, Mogoba said this was speculation.
”People are nominated at congress, not before. We have people who aspire to be leaders. It is actually the congress that will nominate and any other thing said before the congress is speculative … pure, pure speculation and little bit of wishful thinking.”
Mogoba said if he was not elected for the leadership, he would retire and ”go home”.
”I will still be an active member of the party and help the party but when the new leader is elected, I should give him a chance.”
Asked who he would nominate for the leadership besides himself, Mogoba replied: ”I am not nominating anyone”.
PAC MP Patricia de Lille said she was concerned about party members who wanted to be elected for leadership positions but who had no vision for the organisation.
”The party’s position is weak and we need to strengthen our position in order to win the elections. We cannot afford to have leaders who do not have a vision for the party or strategies of how they will make the party strong.”
De Lille said she had been nominated for four different positions through the media. However, it was the PAC branches who nominated candidates and it was at the congress where these nominations would be seconded.
”That is where a member will say I accept or decline. If nominated, I will accept, depending on the situation when I get to the conference. I have to put the interests of the party first before accepting a nomination,” she said.
Party secretary general Thami Ka Plaatjie said the PAC should give hope to the African people and should be a voice of the African people. After the meeting the party should have a clear vision in terms of economic strategy, reform programme, accessible educational and a free health care system.
Ka Plaatjie confirmed he would be contesting the presidential position.
”If I am elected, my major challenges will include looking at resource mobilisation, to have associate memberships for Africans in the continent and to focus on employment strategy,” he said.
The congress starts on Friday with registration and a meeting of the PAC’s national executive committee. The official opening is on Saturday and the congress ends on Monday. More than 400 delegates are expected to attend. – Sapa