Cape Town - In what has become a new phenomenon in the ANC this year, the party’s national conference was adjourned in much the same fashion as some of the provincial conferences.
On Tuesday, the conference was adjourned until January 5, just ahead of the January celebrations to be held in Mangaung, Free State.
However, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a closing address at the glitzy conference that included no announcement of the national executive committee (NEC) members.
There was also no adoption of constitutional amendments and resolutions of the conference.
National chairperson Gwede Mantashe said there were “quite a number of loose ends in the conference, which we must actually close properly and see how we take them forward”.
Newly elected secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the conference programme had been affected by delays in the registration of delegates, in the finalisation of credentials report and in voting procedures, as well as by adverse weather.
He also said a number of delegates from distant provinces had started returning home on the last day of the conference despite it not being finalised.
“Due to these factors it was not possible to formally adopt the commission report and resolution based on deliberation of commissions in the plenary,” he said.
Mbalula said the steering committee was mindful of certain matters on the programme, such as amendment to the constitution that required a two-thirds majority.
“It was clear that the national conference would have neither the time nor the required majority to adopt the constitutional amendments,” he said.
The conference would be continued in hybrid form where delegates would converge in venues connected to each other online.
“The commission report and draft resolutions will be circulated to structures to prepare for the continued session,” Mbalula said.
He said that the conference declaration would be presented at the continued session in just a week’s time.
However, the voting for the additional NEC members was continuing.
The announcement of the additional members was to be made later last night after the counting of votes was concluded.
“You don’t leave this place without voting,” Mbalula said to the delegates. Delivering his closing address, Ramaphosa said the adjournment of the conference was not unusual.
“We held a number of conferences throughout the country that were partly held and adjourned for finalisation at a later stage,” he said.
Briefing the media after the adjournment, Mbalula said they did not want to do rushed work without properly concluding issues to be debated in the plenary.
“We will finalise in a hybrid form and give everyone ample time to understand the resolutions,” he said.
Cape Times