ANC cans stalwarts’ ‘renewal’ conference

THE national consultative conference called for by a group of ANC stalwarts has been cancelled.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the Sunday Times the conference would no longer go ahead after the stalwarts and members of the Umkhonto weSizwe national council scoffed at the party’s offer to set aside the first two days of the forthcoming policy conference to hold the consultative forum.

Instead, ANC delegates to the policy conference, which starts on June 30, will spend those two days assessing the state of the party.

Mantashe said that since the two days of introspection would now fall within the policy conference, resolutions reached would form part of ANC policy in the future.

Ironically, this is what the stalwarts had sought when they called for the consultative conference to be separated from the policy conference. But Mantashe said that since the group of elders had decided to convene their own conferences, those would have no standing in the ANC.

“We gave two days of the policy conference to be used as a consultative conference, but both the stalwarts and MK council said they will not attend. So we will use those two days to do a detailed analysis of the state of the ANC,” Mantashe said.

“There will be no consultative conference in the policy conference. If the stalwarts and MK council choose to go it alone, [their conferences] will have no standing in the ANC.”

Calling off the consultative conference comes as the stalwarts are preparing to hold their own provincial forums.

The ANC Eastern Cape veterans are holding a provincial consultative conference this weekend, and stalwarts in Gauteng and Limpopo are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to succeed Zuma received a shot in the arm when Gauteng ANC chairman Paul Mashatile and West Rand regional chairman Boyce Maneli endorsed his name.

Mashatile’s endorsement increases Ramaphosa’s chances of being endorsed by Gauteng ANC as its preferred candidate. Ramaphosa already has the backing of the ANC in the Northern Cape.

Addressing the ANC regional general council in the West Rand yesterday, ANALYSIS: ANC secretarygeneral Gwede Mantashe says the party will devote two days to introspection Mashatile said those who opposed Ramaphosa should explain why he was not good enough to become ANC president.

“It is not policy but it is history that OR Tambo was deputy to Chief Albert Luthuli. If the deputy is not favoured, we must be told why and then we can make up our own minds,” he said.

Mashatile also spoke out against the calls for a female president, which is a clear indication that he does not support former AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

“Don’t tell us it is time for a woman president. I don't agree with that. If the best leader for the ANC is a woman, then fine, but don’t tell me that it is time for a woman [and therefore] men must be removed. Let’s evaluate all leaders."

Mashatile said he was confident that Ramaphosa would emerge victorious at the December conference.

“We are going to 2017 to win. We are going to win. We have been losing for a long time. But we are going to win for our people.”

Mashatile blamed “arrogant leaders” who did not listen to the people for weakening the ANC.

We are going to win. We have been losing for a long time