Opposing protests on the periphery of the ANC’s 55th National Conference set the tone for a bruising contest

Both sides were emphatic in their stances and war songs, and it was only the presence of a heavily-armed police force that separated them. Some  police members had dogs, others had a truckload of barbed wire, ready to deploy if and when trouble started.

One group of the protesters, calling themselves the Radical Economic Transformation Forces, were led by among others, Jacob Zuma die-hards Nkosenhle Shezi and Carl Niehaus, who was recently expelled from the ANC but who maintains he’s still a member because he has appealed. Protesters were also supported by suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule and Minister of Tourism and ANC presidential hopeful, Lindiwe Sisulu.

They carried anti-President Cyril Ramaphosa placards and chanted Wenzeni uZuma Kawuphendule [loosely translated to mean: What has Zuma done wrong?]. Some among these protestors wore combat uniforms, calling themselves members of the MKVA.

The RET protesters were urging delegates to frustrate, to boo and not to allow Ramaphosa to deliver the political report. Also to stop Paul Mashatile from reading the organisational report.

Both sets of protesters had people representing different parts of South Africa. Among the RET protesters was 40-year-old Njabulo Sokhela, from Moses Mabhida region in the KZN Midlands. He said he was not a delegate, but “I am here to protest and to ensure that delegates that we sent here carry out the mandate that we sent them out to perform.”

He and many of his KZN comrades were “deeply unhappy” about the deterioration in the ANC, and the governments and municipalities it controls.

“Under the current leadership, everything is falling apart,” he said.

Ntsepeng Ndlovu from Tembisa, also clad in combat uniform, said she has been a MKVA member since she was recruited to the self-defence unit in the early nineties.

“We want Ramaphosa out. We don’t have electricity, we are living in poverty, he has sold the country to the white monopoly capital,” she said.

The other side

The other protesting side was just as emphatic, though they had no prominent political leader fronting them. They called themselves, and the march in which they participated, the “Friends of the Conference” and sang songs such as Ramaphosa kiTsamaya Lewena [Ramaphosa, we are with you all the way].

Ntibi Nkomo, 58, attended the pro-Ramaphosa march as part of the 15 “progressive women from Orlando East, Soweto”.

“We are here to protect the president, we are here to protect the ANC. We cannot allow our ANC to go down to the dogs. It was the President’s money that was stolen in Phala Phala. It was not the taxpayers’ money. You cannot compare Nkandlagate to Phala Phala. Taxpayers’ money was stolen to build Nkandla but Phala Phala is different,” she said.

Her sentiments were echoed by fellow marcher Lwando Runeyi, 35, from the King Sabatha Dalindjebo sub-region in the ANC’s OR Tambo region in the Eastern Cape.

“I felt the urge to come here because I believe we need to defend and rescue the ANC from criminals masquerading as leaders. We want the conference to sit, to deliberate policies, elect leaders and conclude its business. Cyril is going to win, he has the numbers. On Monday he is going to close this conference,” said Runeyi.

On the same road, not far from the protesters, hawkers were selling ANC T-shirts, merchandise and paraphernalia.

They complained that tensions between opposing protesters, and the police harassing and moving them around, was preventing them from selling their wares.

Thanda Mapholisa, 39, a hawker from Germiston, said he hoped that in subsequent conference days he would be able to make up for lost time:

Making up for lost time

“We are being shuffled around. I have been to many ANC conferences over the years and I have never seen one where there is just so much tension.”

At the University of South Africa’s Ormonde campus, about 5km away from the Nasrec ANC conference venue, where registration and accreditation of delegates took place, there was tension and frustration as delegates complained about the slow pace of machines printing their tags.

Tired-looking workers and security guards overseeing the registration, said they were not allowed to speak to media, but that the slow pace of registration was beyond their control.

Hamilton Kgabalatsane of Moletjie village in the ANC’s Peter Mokaba (Polokwane) region said registration was “not going well”. He said their Limpopo delegation had been at the venue since Friday morning, disputing accreditation processes and the slow pace of the machines making tags.

He said the Limpopo province had taken a line on Cyril for president as being non-negotiable, but they were open for trade-offs on the other positions.

Also in the registration queue was Phindile Mthombeni, 47, an Mpumalanga delegate. She said she had endured the sweltering heat to get her tag, to vote.

“We want new leadership. The current leadership has let us down,” she said. “We want Zweli to bring in a new style of leadership, one that will take care of us.” DM