The national convention gets under way at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday morning, with an estimated 4Â 000 delegates.
However, for a few hours on Friday there was confusion as to whether the convention would go ahead or not after the African National Congress (ANC) filed an urgent application at the Pretoria High Court to prevent the use of what the party calls ”names or designations that may be confusingly similar to the name and trademark of the ANC”. The name at the centre of the dispute between the ANC and former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota’s group is the SANC — whether in the form of the South Africa National Congress and/or the South Africa National Convention.
The court did not make any ruling on the ANC’s application and postponed the matter to next Thursday. The judge indicated that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) should be part of the case should a new party be formed at this weekend’s convention using the name SANC. Former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa was optimistic that the court would rule in Shikota’s favour because ”there has been no statement from us” saying that the name SANC would be used for the new party.
Shikota was boosted on Friday by the resignation of Director General in the Department of Communications Lyndall Shope-Mafole from both the ANC’s national executive committee and the party. It’s expected that more Shikota faces will be revealed this weekend. Churches, political parties and community groups have been invited to make input in the discussions, sold mainly as a platform to protect and improve South Africa’s democracy.
The convention programme indicates that key speakers will include a youth, women and workers’ speaker — confirming that the new party will likely take a structure similar to that of the ANC, with a youth league, women’s league and a trade-union federation.
Key speakers include general secretary of the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) Dennis George and Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa Professor Barney Pityana.
Delegates will hear input from different political minds as political parties represented in Parliament, including the biggest opposition, the Democratic Alliance, are sending delegations to the convention. Shilowa confirmed that all political parties have been allocated space in the programme to make an input.
Shilowa will present the convention declaration on Sunday. The declaration is likely to serve as a guideline to drafting policies for Shikota, which has come under criticism for howling without making clear what its policies are and if it will offer anything different from the ANC.
The ANC has moved to caution its members against attending the convention. The ANC Youth League said its members who attend the convention will be subjected to disciplinary process as per its constitution and code of conduct, which prohibit members from engaging in ”organised factional activities that go outside the recognised norms of free debate inside the organisation and therefore threaten its unity”.
Shilowa has, however, said some ANC members will attend his convention. ”I’m talking about people who have not resigned from the ANC,” he said.
Most of the sections of the convention will be televised.