Heavy early-morning rain on Monday did nothing to dampen the spirits of supporters of the frontrunners in the ANC leadership race, but journalists were left high and dry while trying to attend proceedings and even had equipment broken by security marshals later in the day.
The conference programme was running late as Sunday’s opening proceedings had taken much longer than expected, partly due to the ANC Youth League’s objection against electronic counting procedures being used in the leadership election. By Monday morning, the nominations process had not even started and treasurer general Mendi Msimang still had to present his financial report, originally scheduled for Sunday evening.
Delegates filed into the marquee for the first morning session, listed as an open session during which messages of support for the ANC would be heard. But when journalists and photographers tried to get inside to take up their places on the floor in front of the podium — no media seats were allocated — security officials barred them from entering and ordered them to remain behind the fence surrounding the marquee.
One official told the Mail & Guardian: ”The session is open, but now we have been told otherwise,” without providing details. Some officials allowed members of the media to stand close to the marquee, but others threatened aggressively to have journalists removed if they did not retreat all the way to the media centre, about 1km away from the marquee.
One official forced an M&G photographer to remain behind a fence while, just metres beyond the barrier, ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama was being interviewed by a television news crew, surrounded by other journalists. As security officials disappeared into the marquee, more journalists would arrive and approach the tent — raising the ire of security staff, one of whom told individual journalists: ”How many times do I have to tell you to get out of here?”
The reason for the confusion was that Msimang’s delayed financial report — a closed session — was the first session for the day. ANC communications official Donovan Cloete explained that messages of support would be split up and addressed in-between leftover sessions from Monday evening, though none of the security staff were able to explain this to journalists.
In the afternoon photographers were huddled under the entrance canopy outside the marquee as it was raining once again. They stopped taking photos through the marquee entrance after being asked not to do so by a security official, but then a different official arrived and ordered them away, to go to their ”allocated media places”.
When photographers pointed out that the rain would damage their equipment, they were told to move, whether they liked it or not. Security marshals formed a cordon and pushed photographers away. When some of the latter were reluctant to retreat into the rain, a minor scuffle broke out. One photographer’s media tag was confiscated and another’s camera screen was smashed.
ANC media officials were not immediately available on Monday afternoon to answer the M&G‘s questions.