There were varying responses on Thursday from delegates who had attended African National Congress (ANC) policy conference ”commissions” to discuss the strategy and tactics document at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
A delegate from KwaZulu-Natal said there were different views from most of the delegates at the commission he attended, but they had all agreed that poverty, not monopoly capital, was the enemy.
”You can’t say capital is the enemy when you want to eradicate poverty,” said the delegate, from KwaDukuza.
In order to create opportunities you need capital,” he said.
He said some delegates were not happy with the inclusion of the ANC history in the strategy and tactics document.
Some delegates argued that the document was meant to empower the whole nation and was not solely for the ANC.
”It does not need [ANC] history. The discussion is about empowering the society and not about the ANC. It must be in line with the society’s needs.”
Delivering a presentation on different proposals from ANC branches on the document on Wednesday, national executive committee member Joel Netshitenzhe told the conference that KwaZulu-Natal had proposed that monopoly capital was an enemy of the national democratic revolution.
A Free State delegate said on Thursday that most of the delegates at the commission he attended agreed with the KZN proposal.
”But man, you know we are not allowed to talk about these things,” he said.
Other delegates chose not to say anything at all and pointed out that the party leadership would brief the media on Thursday afternoon.
”We had vigorous discussion on the document,” a North West delegate said.
Most of the delegates the South African Press Association spoke to agreed that they expected to leave the conference having reached resolutions that would improve the lives of the poor.
”We want to improve the lives of the masses because the ANC is a mass movement,” said one.
The delegates were left in the dark after 10am after a power failure. Electricity supply was restored after 11am.
The policy conference kicked off on Wednesday. President Thabo Mbeki was expected to deliver a closing address on Saturday afternoon.
Resolutions taken in the conference would be taken to the ANC branches for discussion and tabled at the party’s national conference in December for adoption.
Hot-selling items
Meanwhile, fiery red South African Communist (SACP) Party T-shirts selling for R50 were the hottest commodity on sale outside the conference on Thursday.
Bold green, black and gold ANC colours lined tables on a grass way outside the main hall of the venue.
ANC paraphernalia lay beside bright red caps with embossed images of revolutionary Che Guevara.
Hawker Calvin Mothapo said his hottest-selling item was the SACP T-shirt, followed closed by Cuban shirts that he insisted were imported directly from the South American country.
A tiny table covered with books displayed an array of newly released hardbacks, including George Bizos’s Odyssey to Freedom and some classic paperbacks such as Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like.
”That Fit to Govern is selling well; I brought 30 copies and have eight left,” said Ronme Vuner, selling yet another copy of Ronald Suresh Roberts’s controversial biography of President Thabo Mbeki.
Taking a break from the arduous work of debating policy, delegates strolled around the many tables. Few walked off empty-handed.
Mpumalanga delegate Violet Siwela purchased additional ANC-style winter gear for her stay in Johannesburg.
”It’s cold. I need more warm things.”
Moeketsi Mosthadi bought an ANC tracksuit that he said was hard to come by at his home in the Free State.
On the large sales of SACP items he said: ”We are an alliance. There is nothing wrong with that.” — Sapa