There was free iced tea and croissants for stall-holders, which included Standard Bank, Investec and ARMgold. Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, Johnnic Publishing CEO Connie Molusi and Nail chief Saki Macozoma were there, and AngloGold chief Bobby Godsell was expected the next day.
But where, at the Network Lounge, were the ordinary conference delegates? Dressed in black or yellow T-shirts declaring “People’s Power in Action”, they were at a plenary session at the DF Malan Memorial Centre, a 15-minute walk away.
The lounge was where 3 300 delegates, from townships and rural villages across the country, were supposed to “network” with government officials and the private sector. And where, for the small fee of R140 000, business could, according to the official brochure, “interact, establish, develop and build relationships” with the African National Congress.
Network Lounge co-ordinator Nicholas Wolpe admitted things had been slow.
But by Thursday afternoon, the lounge had to be closed after hundreds of conference delegates collecting free gifts threatened the safety of the structure.
Tastefully decorated, the venue echoed ANC history. Panels featuring six Freedom Charter principles flanked the refreshment stand. Copies of the autobiography of struggle stalwarts Walter and Albertina Sisulu were on sale at a discount in front of a display by the Robben Island museum. A business card in a basket could win the owner a blanket emblazoned with the logo of Thebe Investment Corporation, a company formed by former Umkhonto weSizwe members.
Three representatives from Upington in the Northern Cape eventually sidled into the lounge, having read about it before leaving home.
“This is a much-needed exercise. This opens up information to people, especially from rural areas. They don’t always have access to this,” said one of the trio, loaded with documents but too shy to give his name.
Describing itself repeatedly this week as a “multiclass-based organisation with a heavy bias towards the working class and poor” this week, the ANC displayed a mind-boggling capacity to accommodate all.
Wandering over the green fields of Stellenbosch University could be seen multimillionaires Patrice Motsepe and Cyril Ramaphosa, of ARMgold and Johnnic respectively.
Also in evidence was Robben Islander turned mine boss Tokyo Sexwale, who turned down a nomination for the party’s national executive committee. Ramaphosa and Macozoma, however, were certainties for the NEC.
Most delegates made their way to the commission sessions across town on foot, shuttle, or by catching a lift. The comrades in the Cabinet were chauffeur-driven, while limousine-borne high-ups cruised through special VIP entrances.
An evening of jazz and poetry was laid on for delegates. A banquet, complete with cigar lounge, was planned for ANC leaders and a range of corporate top dogs, including SAA’s Andre Viljoen, Standard Bank’s Jaco Maree, Thebe’s Vusi Khanyile, the Airports Company’s Monhla Hlahla and Cell C’s Talaat Laham.
While President Thabo Mbeki checked in at the Lanzerac hotel and wine estate owned by Pepkor’s Christo Wiese, most delegates bedded down in the university hostels.
Being at the conference meant a lot to many.
“I can also be part of decisions,” said one Western Cape delegate.
Said another: “We can have first-hand information for our branches.” He said that the child-support grant should be extended to all children under the age of 18.
Mbeki’s “ultra-leftist” tag was turned into a tongue-in-cheek greeting: “Hello, ultra!” delegates called to each other.
A “broad church” indeed. But for how long can it serve two masters?