ANC chairs welcome report

ANC provincial chairmen want ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe's report which states that the party is sick and needs to heal to be discussed in full because they agree with his diagnosis.

The diagnostic organisational report was presented by Mantashe in plenary at the ANC policy conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg, on Friday .

Limpopo premier and ANC provincial chairman Stanley Mathabatha told Sowetan yesterday: "In my view it is a good and objective report. It was saying to us delegates . 'look into yourselves and do self-introspection'."

Mpumalanga premier and ANC provincial chairman David Mabuza said: "This report is talking about ourselves and how bad we are. It is painful to look at your bad side.

"This is the only moment where we can look at ourselves and . must correct," he said.

ANC ‘premier league’ fails to prevent  Mantashe from presenting scathing report

He cited factionalism as one of the ills bedevilling the ANC.

In another development yesterday, ANC provinces continued to differ sharply on the concept of "white monopoly capital". Mathabatha said: "It is a conference of the ANC. You will have people saying there is a 'white monopoly capital' and you have some saying there is no 'white monopoly capital'."

Mabuza was more blunt. "The economy is concentrated in few hands, that is why the majority of the people are poor," he said. ". people can't be allowed to remain poor. They will fight and they will destroy what we have."

KZN leader Sihle Zikalala said the ANC needed to build a strong state biased towards the working class and Africans.

Gauteng chairman Paul Mashatile said: "We now need to go out and address the issues raised by the people. We need to win back the confidence of South Africans."

Eastern Cape chairman Phumulo Masualle said: "We have to look at the unity of the ANC and . [remain] relevant."