Buses start arriving from as early as 8am. Wearing bright smiles and yellow ANC shirts, youths start queuing for registration at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus (formerly Vista University).
Many are tired from 18-hour bus rides from the Western and Eastern Cape, so they rest under trees inside the campus. At midday the queues outside get chaotic — young men reeking of alcohol do not take too well to the blazing sun; it’s been a long night for the comrades.
Whistles, clapping, stamping, the Nasrec Expo Centre vibrates with the sounds of young voices, singing songs vowing to “fight and kill for Zuma”. With hands in the air, young men and women bless the expo centre, singing and dancing to the renowned ANC song Umshini Wami (the remix).
Scores of youths in thick jackets and blankets congregate in the cold outside for hours waiting for their leaders. A convoy of the latest Audi, BMW and Lexus models, drives in just before 11pm.
With shiny smiles and pointed soft leather shoes, president Julius Malema and his delegation walk into the massive conference room. The comrades forget the cold and fatigue; in unity they scream and jump, singing songs of praise confirming Malema’s power.
The delegates are, on the whole, young people who arrived in buses from faraway provinces. But in the conference venue, there are a few BEE types who have non-voting accreditation status and whose purpose at the conference is not very clear. They do not eat with the rest of delegates at the dining hall, preferring instead their self-organised smoked-chicken-and-rolls lunch. They are mostly former league members who display a bit of their new-found middle-class lifestyle.
Unity is the main theme of the conference; it’s about comrades putting their differences aside and working together to build a powerful organisation. To show their unity, comrades do not focus on their differences but rather on their agreements.
In the evening, while some comrades drive in luxurious cars with air conditioning to their hotels, others walk across to their buses in the parking lot.
They curl up in a blanket, trying to find some peaceful sleep among fellow comrades who found out they had no accommodation just after midnight when they walked out of the address by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe.
After another long, cold night spent in the buses, morning comes and everyone looks bright and eager, dressed in leather jackets, big shades and label jeans and shoes. The comrades look united as they make their way to the massive dining hall.
Together in song they walk past the white A3 that belongs to a smartly dressed spokesperson. They continue to chant struggle songs as they pass the long Kompressor parked near the entrance of the dining hall. “So phumelela, thina so phumelela [We will succeed].”
As the sun shines brighter, comrades gather to receive the warmth; others dance to keep warm.
The spirit of unity shall conquer all. Gwede said it, Saki said it and Mbalula said it on Friday. The comrades sing the morning away.
Mbalula’s voice breaks the unity. “Comrades, please move to the conference room for the start of the conference.”
People continue singing louder and jumping higher. Those under the trees close their eyes and bury their heads in their bags and blankets.
Frustrated, Mbalula speaks even louder, with more aggression, commanding the comrades to move. “Comrades under the trees and those in the sun, this is a command. Please move to the conference room to start the conference. That goes for the comrades singing there. This is an order, comrades.”
Early afternoon, and the spirit of comradeship starts to move out of the expo centre into the parking lots, where the latest Volvos, Audi Q7s, Z4s, Megane Sports and Land Rovers, to name a few, are parked.
Male comrades sporting the latest brand of shades, cologne and pick-up lines stand outside their ride discussing ANC policy over a shot of the best whiskey. Gold teeth flash as they invite young female comrades in tight pants and stilettos to come over and network.
Inside the centre, comrades lie on the grass; others sit against the walls of the corridors and wait.
“We are tired. We did not get much sleep in the buses – we are waiting to hear news on whether the guest houses we were promised this morning are ready,” say two women from the Western Cape.
A shiny red Audi drives past, speakers blaring sound.