Economy top of agenda at ANC 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 that is taking place at Nasrec, west of 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 ruling party  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 some issues needed to be dealt with immediately.

He 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," Mantashe said addressing the media at Nasrec on Thursday.

He outlined the key priorities of the conference which will largely centre on the economy.

He added that 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 have accused   the leadership of the ruling party of behaving like ostriches sticking their heads in the sand, as it battles reports of state capture,  and intense internal 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 the head out of the sand.

“The conference will not go to the bottom of the issues that we have raised. Zuma issue in relation to Nkandla, Guptas and e-mails 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 President Jacob Zuma had failed to raise their proposed separation of the policy conference from the national consultative conference as promised, among others.

On Friday Zuma will address the opening of the conference with the first being consultative conference and Sunday the policy conference will start until Wednesday.

The veterans  are well-known and highly respected individuals in the country who served with the late former president Nelson Mandela in the ANC.

Another veteran Mavuso Msimang said participation in the 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 it would change anything.”