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DEBATE: ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, right, and national spokesman Jackson Mthembu during the press conference at Luthuli House in Johannesburg yesterday. PHOTO: ANTONIO MUCHAVE

ANC's Mathews Phosa during Brics session at Gallagher Estate in Middrand within the international community.

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The province will have 500 delegates attending the four-day conference while the Eastern Cape will have 420.

The policy conference is likely to set the tone for the ruling party's elective conference in Mangaung in December.

The ANC's head of policy, Jeff Radebe, said the conference was not about numbers but about discussing policies.

Radebe said audits for the centenary were used to allocate delegates and that it was the responsibility of provinces to allocate members equitably to all the planned 11 commissions.

"This would ensure that not one commission has more members than others. The provinces will be pressed upon so that they do exactly that," he said.

"Even if one commission is deferred, that will not be physically possible," adding that the officials would monitor proceedings so that all delegates attend all commissions.

Radebe was addressing a media briefing in Johannesburg.

He said the party had learnt from previous national general councils and "would not tolerate" any ill-discipline.

The Free State, which only held its controversial provincial elective conference at the weekend, will send 162 delegates. The Northern Cape will send 106 delegates, and the North West 117.

Free State chairman Ace Magashule told his supporters after his re-election at the weekend to "aggressively force" their views at the conference.

The party expects about 3500 people who will include members of the tripartite alliance, diplomats and business representatives.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said he expected the next few days to be exciting as the party would be engaging in "robust and candid debates". This includes the much debated organisational renewal, strategy and tactics document which discusses the controversial "Second Transition" - a proposition which has been rejected by a number of party structures for "separating political freedom from economic transformation".

Zuma has lambasted those who are critical of his call for a second transition, saying they should come up with an alternative.

Yesterday, Mantashe said the fact that people express different views on these documents was in itself an indication that there would be a "very highly theoretical debate" that would bring practical solutions to what the ANC is facing.

Mantashe was dismissive of the idea that the ANC had not achieved a better life for all. "We know a lot of work has been done, but more still needs to be done," he said before dealing with the fast growth of the black middle class.

He said the policy conference would be a good indicator of what would come in Mangaung.

The party would have debated and decided its policy mandate by then.

- nhlabathih@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Sat May 25 04:26:53 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 26, 2012

Pointman

Why are police on duty at the policy conference and why have the roads around Gallagher Estate been blocked. The ANC is a political party and should provide their own security if they feel unsafe - somewhere the public is going unprotected while these police are busy protecting the delegates.
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Jun 26, 2012

Tronn

Pointman. Do you really believe the ANC is concerned about the security of the Public?????
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Jun 26, 2012

Tronn

The fact that KZN is the majority makes me feel hopeful. The ANC in KZN is able to reason intelligently.
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Jun 26, 2012

lindsay

what does the majority of kzn have anything to do with the conference if the division of delegates is going to be equal?
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Jun 26, 2012

DJWinner

I told people that KZN will give Zuma the second term, people must stop speculating. Zulus still back Zuma and they are the majority of people to vote in Mangaung. Common sense: Zuma is getting the second term.
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Jun 26, 2012

KILLERa1111

@DJWinner

It not about Zulu, point of correction...the numbers favour Zuma..Ony blind cannot see that Zuma will get the second term. Free state is Sothos but they back Zuma, Mpumalanga mixture of Swatis, Zulu and Ndebele and they aslo back Zuma, EC is mixture of Amampondo and Xhosa and Zuma aslo ge the nod.

If u did your maths not even at varsity, numbers gives you a picture...

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Jun 26, 2012

DJWinner

@KILLERa1111

The title of the article says: KZN numbers dominate conference. Who stays in KZN?
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Jun 26, 2012

Dandan

sibafakile kuminyane utshumo
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Jun 26, 2012

Dandan

KILLERa1111

even in Limp background of malema we still have share move on to NWest still the same gcwala ngesgebengu
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Jun 26, 2012

mkabayi

ineptocracy. that's the word on everyone's lips these days. this is after the Times of London, last week published a damning critique of the anc's reign since 1994. it bears quoting the its meaning posted @ politicalhotwire.com:

"a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers."

if this does not reflect the reality of post 1994 sa, what does? why could a guy like malema, and his ancyl lackeys, khulubuse zuma, zondwa mandela, etc, be super rich, with minimal effort, when an average guy who get an A or B in matric have to do it the hard way (study hard for 4-6 at college, to become a doctor, engineer, accountant, etc. living from hand to mouth) and still not be as wealthy?

can you imagine any country when meritocracy rules instead? would a guy with such dismall peformance in matric and coming from an impoverished background be so wealthy within one decade of party duty? would a guy like khulubuse, with no obvious entrepreneurial or management talent be so rich if he was not associated with a powerfull uncle? patronage not policy, is at the heart of of all the infighting. the anc talk shop (unlike all previous ones, which have never created a single job) must address this cancer in society.
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