By Livhuwani Mammburu

20 September 2010

ANC President Jacob Zuma has old delegates at the African National Council that the meeting was no place to discuss issues such as nationalization

“We must not listen to the media and other people who say we are coming here to discuss new policies,” he said, deviating from his prepared political report at the NGC in Durban.

He said the conference was aimed at reviewing progress on resolutions taken at the African National Congress national conference in Polokwane in 2007 and was not a policy conference.

That’s after the Youth League, led by president Julius Malema, told media repeatedly over the past month that he would be bringing this issue up for discussion at the conference.

Steven Friedman, a political Scientist based at the Centre for the study of democracy in the University of Johannesburg said he does not think there will be a wide support for the nationalisation of mines at the council.

Friedman said: “I do not think there is going to be a specific debate on the nationalisation of mines, even if there was wide support for the nationalisation of mines, it could not be acted now, it has to go to the national conference in 2012. I do not think there is a wide support for the nationalisation of mines. I think you may have some guided resolution coming out in order to make people feel happy. I therefore do not expect the ANC going for the nationalisation of mines in the foreseeable future. The hysteria created about the nationalisation of mines at the moment is based on the misunderstanding of the ANC and how it works.”

ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu confirmed that nationalisation was not part of the Polokwane resolutions which had to be reviewed at the current gathering.

ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu declined to comment, saying the matter would be debated internally.

Friedman said the issue of media tribunal, however, will feature prominently on the agenda of the NGC.

“Yes, it will come up, there are documents about it and I think the general expectation is that the ANC will pass some sort of a resolution supporting the media tribunal, but that is only the beginning of the process, that is not the end of the process,” he said.

Earlier, Zuma condemned what he called poor discipline in the ranks, earmarking the Youth League for comments about actions that had undermined the movement.

Afterwards, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was consoled by veteran women’s leaguer Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

“Every parent is allowed to talk to their children,” she said as she held her arm around Malema, head bowed as he listened.

“Every organisation is like a parent. It does happen,” said Madikizela-Mandela after Zuma opened the conference by calling for greater “revolutionary discipline”. – with Sapa

Source: http://www.businessday.co.za/