In an attempt to dilute the fierce debate on the nationalisation of mines, punted by the ANC Youth League, the ANC has decided to broaden the debate to focus on the role of the state in the economy and therefore take the spotlight away from nationalisation.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday told reporters at the Durban Exhibition Centre that the youth league raised “key questions” that should be discussed at the national general council (NGC).
In his organisational report to the delegates on Monday he said the debate on nationalisation “has to be expanded to give meaning to this clause of the Freedom Charter”, and the debate should include the role of the state in the banking industry.
The NGC is taking place in Durban this week, and although it will see heated discussions, the conference will have no power to make binding decisions.
ANCYL president Julius Malema has led an intensive campaign since last year to ensure that nationalisation of the mines — and later banks and land — becomes ANC policy. It became the bogeyman that many feared would derail the NGC and lead to radical change in economic policy.
‘Bored’
But on Tuesday Mantashe said he is “bored” with mining and the debate should move to banks: “I’ve been in mining for more than 30 years, mining is boring for me. We must look at the banking industry.”
Mantashe, a former director at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, told journalists that the Postbank should get a “proper banking licence”.
“The movement must take a concrete decision [regarding the Postbank], something that would establish a visible presence of the state in this important sector.”
The discussion will be centred on whether the licence should be limited to only savings or include financial services such as credit facilities.
At the briefing Mantashe said business people attending the NGC will be allowed to sit in on discussions and “influence discussions”.
“They will influence decisions, they will find working-class people, rural people, and they will find their views contested. But we want to keep them as a motive force, because the ANC is a multi-class party, we are not a revolutionary working-class party,” he said.