A perusal of the draft programme of the ANC national conference taking place from the December 16 – 20 shows that, as per tradition, the real work will take place between the 17th and the 19th of December. The first and the last day of the conference will by all accounts be downtime.
Friday will used for registration of delegates, observers and guests. The business of the conference will begin on Saturday with interfaith prayers and singing of the national anthem.
National chairperson and parliament speaker Baleka Mbete will direct the programme as she invites party president Jacob Zuma to deliver his “political report” for session one, open to all. The outgoing president has been allocated two and half hours for this item.
Mbete will continue chairing the next session, which will be a closed one, where only delegates, observers and party functionaries will attend.
Deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte will no doubt present one of the most contentious reports of the day. The ‘Credentials report’ is expected to deal with queries regarding delegates, rules on who is not in good standing and agrees on the number of those who are eligible to vote and participate.
Mbete will ascend the podium once the conference reaches an agreement on credentials to deal with the “adoption of conference programme, rules and electoral commission”.
After lunch, former deputy secretary-general and former minister of housing Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, with Mbete still in the chair’s seat, will present “constitutional amendments”.
The main thrust of this will be plenary discussion and/or adoption of amendments affecting the composition of officials and the national executive committee (NEC).
The chairperson of the electoral commission will then invite the media and guests back in to the main plenary venue, where nomination for the positions of president, national chairperson, secretary-general and treasurer-general will be introduced.
Voting will, however, continue throughout the conference. Baleka will again chair the last closed session of the day, where secretary-general Gwede Mantashe will present the “organisation report” and treasurer-general Dr Zweli Mkhize will read his “financial report” to the delegates.
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Mbete will continue chairing the sessions on Sunday, starting with a closed session where messages of support will be delivered. NEC member and minister of Arts and Culture will go through “strategy and tactics” document while another NEC member and police minister Fikile Mbalula will present the much talked about “organisational renewal” document. After lunch and for even hours, 13 breakaway commissions will tackle both themes.
By Sunday 9pm, the electoral commission chairperson is expected to have announced who got the nod for the positions of president, national chairperson, secretary-general and treasurer-general. Immediately afterwards, voting will open for the positions of deputy president and deputy secretary-general.
The conference continues on Monday with further deliberations on sectoral commissions covering ‘communications and battles of ideas’, economic transformation, education and health, legislature and governance, international relations, peace and stability, social transformation, finance and fundraising and constitutional amendments.
In the evening, the electoral commission chairperson will announce the names of the new deputy president and deputy secretary-general.
On Tuesday, minister in the presidency and NEC member Jeff Radebe will chair the commissions report-back closed session, which will also deal with presentations of draft resolutions.
On Wednesday, the chairperson of the electoral commission will announce the names of those who have made it to the NEC. The last session to be chairperson by the incoming national chairperson will dispose of the “declaration of the 54th national conference” before the incoming president delivers his or her closing address.
The programme is not cast in stone, and changes may be effected.
You can follow the author @Gosebo_Mathope or email gosebom@citizen.co.za
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