Delegates to the African National Congress’s Polokwane conference, some of them weary after driving through the night from other parts of the country, began registering shortly after 10am on Saturday.
Registration is taking place in a cavernous and hot aircraft hangar at the Gateway Airport north of Polokwane.
After registering, the 4 000 delegates have to drive another 40km to the University of Limpopo, east of the town, where the conference is taking place.
Among the early arrivals at the registration venue on Saturday was a group of delegates from the Mokgwabone branch outside Kuruman in the Northern Cape.
One of them, Taolo Gaetsietse, said he and 12 comrades had travelled in a hired minibus taxi.
After a meeting with other ANC members in Kimberley, they set off at 10pm on Friday, drove through the night, and arrived in Polokwane at about 8am.
”We feel a little bit tired, but the mood and the situation of the conference always makes you to have that extra energy, which we don’t know where it comes from,” he said.
Gaetsietse said he had attended the ANC’s 1997 Mafikeng conference. H was excited ”big time, big time excited” to be at Polokwane.
”Traditionally we used to have one candidate, but this time around we have two candidates,” he said.
”Some people might see it as negative, but we see it as positive, just to test democracy in the ANC.”
He did however feel that the rivalry between current ANC president Thabo Mbeki and his deputy Jacob Zuma should have been resolved by the party leadership before the conference.
”We can also tell you that as a matter of opinion, there’s nothing wrong that we see that has been done by Thabo,” he said.
Mandla Mthimkulu, from a branch at Orange Farm in Gauteng, said he left home just after 3am to drive to Polokwane by car.
He felt ”OK”, because he and the comrades with him had been able to sleep during the journey.
He said an ANC conference was ”always exciting”.
”It’s a chance that we get once,” he said.
”To be nominated as a delegate, it’s not a small thing. It’s an honour.”
Despite the contest for the leadership, he did not believe Polokwane was more momentous than other post-1994 ANC conferences.
”Every national conference of the ANC is very important, because it talks about policy, it talks about national issues,” he said.
Darling Nkewu, an ANC Youth League member from Paarl in the Western Cape, said she was not a delegate, and would not be allowed into the conference, but had come to lobby delegates to vote for Mbeki.
”My support makes a difference. One person’s support makes a difference,” she said.
She said she had travelled by car with other ANC members, leaving the Boland at 11.30am on Friday, and arriving just as registration got under way.
They slept for two hours in the car near Johannesburg.
Asked how she felt, she said: ”Tired. My feet are swollen and I need a shower.”
”I am excited, but also nervous for the outcome, because there’s a 50-50 chance for everything. I’ll be very disappointed if who I support doesn’t [get elected].”
Among the other early arrivals at the registration venue was police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, who told the South African Press Association he was looking forward to the conference.
Also there were National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, who has been nominated for the post of party deputy secretary general by the Zuma camp; Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, and Women’s League deputy president Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini.
At the veterans’ registration table, old friends and struggle heroes saluted each other.
One of them, former transport minister Mac Maharaj, was in high spirits but his expression grew serious when asked about his expectations for the next few days.
”Conference must solve any mistakes we have made in the past, conference must unite the ANC around solutions for the future,” he said.
”We must bring the ANC back to the people,” said Maharaj, a Zuma backer.
”If the policy is right any leader can be panel-beaten to do the right thing,” he added.
British High Commissioner Paul Boateng, dashing off after collecting his diplomatic observer’s registration card, said the international community could not help being interested in the elective conference of the oldest, most well established democratic movement in the world.
”The ANC is the oldest and well established political party in the world with a long-standing commitment to democracy, the meeting in Polokwane is of high interest to the United Kingdom and its people,” he said.
Of the leadership battle, he said: ”It is an ANC matter and as an observer, I am observing, I don’t have an opinion,” he said. – Sapa