ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe has reiterated that policy would not change under a Zuma-led presidency and fears that the left tripartite alliance partners would force change were unfounded.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Motlanthe said spontaneous policy change was not possible given the specific processes the ANC follow in formulating and adopting its policies.
”Policy will not change, because the ANC convenes a national policy conference every five years and the recommendations there form the basis for debates at the national conference, where they are either adopted or rejected. Once they are adopted they become policy and will not be changed for that five-year cycle,” he said.
Building on this theme, Motlanthe said Cosatu and the SACP would be unable to demand favours from Zuma in return for their support.
”There is no way [Cosatu and the SACP] can claim they put a certain leader there, therefore it is payback time. The ANC elects its leaders.”
Motlanthe said although the party’s basic policy positions on the macro-economy would not change, the emphasis might shift, depending on who is implementing them. ”The challenge lies in the implementation — the emphasis may differ with different people charged with implementing.”
There is a pervasive concern in business circles that a Zuma-led presidency, under the influence of Cosatu and SACP, would result in centre-left shifts in fiscal and monetary policy.
The only time that forces outside the ANC could influence policy would be ”if the ANC begins running elections the American way” and make promises in return for funds.
Asked about his opinion on the party electing a president who is ”tainted” with allegations of corruption, Motlanthe skirted the issue and said the case against Zuma was ”a very strange case” and ”a neverending agony” in the sense that it has bounced in and out of the judicial system for so long.
In a veiled criticism of President Thabo Mbeki, Motlanthe said: ”If you act [divisively] to someone of that stature and standing in the organisation you will precipitate divisions.”
Motlanthe said the ANC had repaid the R11-million Oilgate funding money it had received from front company Imvume, but he was very vague on how the party had been able to reimburse the company.
”The treasurer general made every effort to find the money and return it.” He said that for the first time the ANC was writing their ”books in black”, but that the matter of party funding had to be addressed urgently to avoid these ”flagrantly corrupting practices” from protracting to the 2009 list processes.
The ANC has consistently avoided legislating against private party funding despite ongoing pronouncements of intent from party leaders.