The national convention called by Mbhazima Shilowa and Mosiuoa Lekota will include representation from all nine provinces and from the leaders of the main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance, the United Democratic Movement and the Independent Democrats, when it starts on Saturday.
Unexpectedly, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), one of the ANC’s allies, also says it will attend both the indaba at the Sandton Convention Centre and the launch of a new party, if there is one.
Organisers say they expect 4 000 delegates from political parties, NGOs, sports bodies and business people at the weekend-long brainstorming session.
”Shikota” has been selling the meetings as a platform to find ways of ensuring that democracy is protected.
Prominent figures who will attend include Unisa vice-chancellor Barney Pityana, former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils, former public service minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi and her husband, former deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi, former minister in the presidency Essop Pahad and former deputy minister of foreign affairs Aziz Pahad.
The Western Cape, North West, Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape are expected to send 500 delegates each, while 300 each will come from Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. KwaZulu-Natal, a Jacob Zuma stronghold, is expected to bring 200 delegates.
Sanco has been allocated between 150 and 200 delegates representing all provinces. Gauteng chairperson Siphiwe Thusi said the organisation hoped that the convention’s decisions would unite delegates over urgent issues such as poverty and unemployment.
Thusi said that if it was decided to launch a new political party Sanco would work with it as long it entrenched democratic values.
DA leader Helen Zille said she expected the meeting to provide a platform for debate on issues such as the Constitution, the separation of party and state, equality before the law, the direct election of the president, premiers and mayors and the funding of political parties.
She said Shilowa has assured her that the convention is not about launching a new political party. ”Based on this assurance the DA has decided to send a delegation. This could be a crucial discussion for the future of South Africa.”
The breakaway faction of the Pan Africanist Congress, led by Thami ka-Plaatjie, has turned down an invitation to attend, saying the convention involves the same ANC and will offer nothing new.
Ka-Plaatjie said his group viewed the gathering as ”a desperate ganging-up of the elite against the poor underclass, who are seeking to claim their voice and influence in the ANC”.
The United Democratic Movement, initially reluctant to attend, has now decided to do so and to make an input in the form of an ”advisory” paper to be presented by its leader, Bantu Holomisa. Holomisa said he had changed his mind after Shilowa and Lekota assured him the convention was not meant for disgruntled ANC members only. ”I still maintain that ANC people need to hammer out their own problems and should be given space to do that.”
The organisers have moved to counter disruptions by choosing the Sandton Convention Centre as a venue.
”You can immediately work with the Johannesburg metro [police] and the police,” said Shilowa. ”The centre also has its own private security.”
If disruptions occurred, they would reflect on the organisations behind them, he added.
The Shikota meetings disrupted in the name of the ANC in Orange Farm in Gauteng and Gugulethu last week continued under police guard.
One of the leaders of the disrupters in Orange Farm said they were organised by the ANCYL. Siphiwe Mshayisa, who identified himself as deputy chairperson of the ANC’s Madibawenkomo branch in Orange Farm’s ward two, said the protesters wanted to prevent Shikota ”spreading lies”.
The ANC Youth League, through its spokesperson Floyd Shivambu, denied any knowledge of the disruptions. The league was ”against all disruptions of meetings of any nature and is democratically tolerant of anyone who organises peacefully, but detests any formation founded on lies and distortion of the ANC”, Shivambu said.
The ANC and the Young Communist League also pledged this week to allow Shikota and any other party to organise without threats of disruption.