ANC happy with its conference

The ANC says it is satisfied with how the first three days of its fifth national policy conference have gone so far.

Party leaders and members from different branches across the country started meeting last Friday.

Addressing the media shortly before chairing her committee on education yesterday, Naledi Pandor said she was pleased with how the conference was progressing.

“The conference has gone much better than I thought,” she said.

Pressed for comment on the boycotting of the conference by the 101 ANC stalwarts, Pandor said it was a pity that they chose not to attend the first two days of the conference, but stressed that there were many other party veterans taking part.

“ANC veterans are millions of people – the ANC was in the past supported by millions of people.

“We have here the veterans’ league, which is the formal structure of the ANC, and we have a full component of our policy conference here,” Pandor said.

Turning her attention to matters pertaining to education – particularly higher education – Pandor emphasised the importance of unity, saying that without unity the ANC would not be strong.

Organisational renewal for the ANC is what has dominated discussions during the party’s national policy conference, said Nomvula Mokonyane, who chairs one of the subcommittees.

Mokonyane said the sessions at the conference were also used as moments for introspection.

“Of importance is how we reclaim the space of being the leader of society and how we strengthen the alliance because the ANC believes the alliance is sacrosanct.

“Other people might have views, but the ANC believes that organised workers and the SACP are strategic forces we need to work with in pursuing our end game of a nonracial and united South Africa,” she said.

Mokonyane said the issue of leadership was also one of the important issues that would be looked at at the conference, saying the ANC must always have a type of leadership people could have confidence in.

“It has to be a leadership that can unite South Africans, but it has to start first by uniting members of the ANC,” she said.