South Africa: ANC policy conference's outcomes are unclear

The briefing analyzes a four-day ANC policy conference, concluding that the party avoided definitive positions on corruption, education, and the 'Second Transition' to maintain political unity and economic stability ahead of the Mangaung national conference. While the ANC rejected constitutional amendments for land reform and full nationalisation of strategic resources, it resolved to abandon the 'willing buyer, willing seller' principle and increase the state's role in strategic mineral projects.

• The ANC rejected the pursuit of radical land expropriation as proposed by the ANCYL and decided against a constitutional amendment on land reform, though it resolved to abandon the 'willing buyer, willing seller' principle for land redistribution.
• The party determined that land expropriation without compensation should be pursued specifically in cases where land was acquired illegally, while other expropriations must follow Section 25 of the Constitution requiring 'just and equitable' compensation.
• The ANC ruled out the nationalisation of strategic resources but decided that the state should increase its role or stake in projects involving strategic mineral resources, although no specific implementation details were provided.
• The conference rejected the concept of a 'Second Transition', opting instead to describe the country's current state as the 'second phase of the transition'.
• The document suggests the ANC's lack of policy clarity on corruption, education, and economic reform may be a deliberate strategy to avoid opposition attacks and prevent negative economic impacts during election season.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). South Africa: ANC policy conference's outcomes are unclear. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-anc-policy-conferences-outcomes-are-unclear

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. South Africa: ANC policy conference's outcomes are unclear. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-anc-policy-conferences-outcomes-are-unclear.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=South Africa: ANC policy conference's outcomes are unclear |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-anc-policy-conferences-outcomes-are-unclear |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndsouth, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{South Africa: ANC policy conference's outcomes are unclear}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-anc-policy-conferences-outcomes-are-unclear}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }