All eyes on the ANC
Focus on economy and unemployment as divided governing party goes into conference
A ruling party in turmoil starts its crucial policy conference today, but many believe what will transpire behind the scenes will by far overshadow the official business of discussing ANC policy.
The party’s secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on the eve of the conference which takes place in Johannesburg that the economic crisis in the country should get the ANC’s immediate attention.
But ANC stalwarts, who are boycotting the conference for the first two days, have accused the leadership of the ruling party of “sticking their heads in the sand” as evidence of state capture mounts, while the ANC is also embroiled in an intense internal leadership race.
Delegates will decide on the ANC’s policies in the week ahead but the policies will only be formally adopted at the national elective conference in December.
Mantashe said the gathering took place against the backdrop of the downgrading of SA’s investment grading by three ratings agencies, the latest unemployment numbers and the economy entering a technical recession after two consecutive quarters of negative growth. “The economic crisis can’t wait for December,” said Mantashe, addressing the media at Nasrec yesterday.
He outlined the key priorities of the conference which will largely centre on the economy.
He said the outcome of the 2016 polls in which the party lost three metros and a handful of smaller municipalities, bringing its national support down to 53%, was “still looming large” in the party’s analysis.
ANC stalwarts said the leadership of the ruling party were behaving like ostriches, as it battles reports of state capture, and leadership infighting.
Party veteran Murphy Morobe said the ANC was not prepared to confront its own problems or “project state capture”.
“This crisis is too deep, it needs them to take [their] heads out of the sand.
“The conference will not go to the bottom of the issues that we have raised. [The President Jacob] Zuma issue in relation to Nkandla, Guptas and emails is all part of one big issue that the ANC leadership has to face up to,” he said.
Morobe and other veterans said they decided to boycott the conference because Zuma had failed to meet their proposal for the separation of the policy conference from a national consultative conference as promised.
Today, Zuma will address the opening of the conference with the first two days being a consultative conference. The policy conference starts on Sunday and ends on Wednesday.
The veterans are respected individuals who served with the late former president Nelson Mandela in the ANC.
Veteran Mavuso Msimang said participation in the first two days was not going to be helpful. “There is no way in which our being there for two days talking to people who … I don’t know how much they appreciate what is being talked about [or that] it would change anything.”