ANC to copy the Chinese

Thu Feb 14 16:21:00 SAST 2013

2013-02-14 07:38:13.0 | Olebogeng Molatlhwa Political Reporter | 37 comments

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says the ruling party is "considering" the Chinese Communist Party model in which bigger conferences are held at lower levels and a smaller number attends the national conference.

This was in response to analyst Aubrey Matshiqi's question yesterday on whether the large contingents of delegates at ANC conferences allowed for proper policy discussions.

The exchange happened yesterday at the University of Johannesburg's Soweto campus, where Mantashe met academics and political analysts and they analysed the ANC's policy outcomes from last year's national conference.

Policies adopted there will later be implemented by the government.

Matshiqi said taking current trends into account, the ANC's 2017 national conference was likely attract about 6 000 delegates.

"Does the size of the national conference assist or impede the ANC in having proper policy discussions?" he asked.

Mantashe, who was accompanied by NEC members Pule Mabe and Enoch Godongwane admitted that the cost of hosting ANC conferences was a burden. Several ANC leaders had been visiting China to meet Chinese Communist Party members and Mantashe had led some of the delegations

Academic Kwandile Nkondloquestioned the party's Peace and Security commission for failing to interrogate the secrecy and the overly "evasiveness" of the National Intelligence Agency.

Nkondlo likened the NIA to their counterparts during apartheid.

"This is the underground of our democracy. I get concerned when ANC resolutions don' t say anything about the NIA."

Godongwana again defended the NIA, arguing that spy agencies around the world operated in a manner similar to the NIA.

He said: "That is the nature of the beast. You can't ask the NIA to reveal how many people they pay to get information."

Nkondlo also took a swipe at the intellectual capacity of some ANC cadres, observing that they didn't read much, but relied on "anecdotes and rhetoric" to make political decisions and accepted patronage to to show loyalty. - molatlhwao@sowetan.co.za

Source: http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/02/14/anc-to-copy-the-chinese

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