Delegates were on Wednesday morning filling up the ballroom at Gallagher Estate, venue of the African National Congress’s (ANC) policy conference in a bitterly cold Midrand, Gauteng, raising the roof with song.
About 1 500 delegates are expected to attend the four-day conference, due to be opened by President Thabo Mbeki. Flanked by deputy ANC president Jacob Zuma, Mbeki arrived at the hall amid a roar of applause and a chorus of song. The two were in deep discussion when they entered the venue hall at 10am.
Among the early arrivals on Wednesday were several Cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe and Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad.
Also seen were the ANC’s former chief whip in Parliament, Tony Yengeni, released from jail earlier this year after serving time for fraud, and several senior civil servants, including police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Businessmen including Tokyo Sexwale and Patrice Motsepe were also in attendance. ”It’s a cold day, but I believe we are going to a warm discussion,” Sexwale said. ”Open democracy, very robust. So we look forward to the conference.”
Delegates inside the hall sang competing songs, with some roaring out Jacob Zuma’s trademark Umshini Wam.
After the opening ceremony, the conference will go into closed session on Wednesday afternoon for a debate on the controversial strategy and tactics document.
Providing a framework for the conference will be 13 discussion documents that have been widely circulated since early this year, including the strategy and tactics document.
This document seeks to set out the party’s political vision and a broad plan of action and is expected to be the target of an all-out attack by delegates from the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, who will be pushing for more radical economic policies and a recognition of the working class as the driving force of the ”revolution”.
The conference takes place against intense behind-the-scenes jockeying over the leadership of the party, and debate on whether President Thabo Mbeki, barred by the Constitution from a third term as president of the country, should run for a third as head of the party.
Most of the conference is being held behind closed doors.
According to party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama, the conference will produce ”draft resolutions”, which will go to party branches for debate ahead of the ANC national conference in December.
Meanwhile, the conference will not accomplish its mandate if empowerment of the youth is not enacted, Young Communist League secretary general Buti Manamela said on Wednesday.
”We want a clear strategy on fighting poverty and the creation of jobs, starting with implementation of the national general council resolutions to a form a national youth agency which will be a merger of the National Youth Commission and the Umsobovu Youth Fund,” Manamela said at the conference venue in Midrand.
A state bank should be formed to provide capital to young aspiring businessmen. The policy conference should also resolve on providing free education for all up to tertiary level, Manamela said.