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Cape Town - The breakaway party spearheaded by former cabinet minister Mosiuoa Lekota and former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa, wants to capitalise on assumptions that the ruling party's economic policy has shifted more to the left than it cares to admit.
The new party - likely to be named the South African National Congress - is already being billed as one that will reduce poverty and unemployment through a liberal policy platform that's in tune with modern global economics.
On the eve of a convention in Sandton, however, Shilowa and Lekota are at pains to stress that the new organisation's policies will only be hammered out by constituencies in the run up to the party's launch on December 16.
The pair has, however, spoken out in support of the policies followed under the tenure of former President Thabo Mbeki, saying that these need to be tweaked and improved on.
Shilowa concedes that the trick will be to move the party beyond current perceptions that it is a gathering of disgruntled ANC members.
It's policy menu will have to differ from the ANC's.
"We're not pulling from the ANC but targeting a broad spectrum. This has to be more than just the ANC Mark 2," Shilowa told reporters. The convention, planned for this weekend, will draw over 4 000 delegates.
Invited guests include leaders of opposition parties, intelligentsia, business people, workers, trade unions, women organisations, youth organisations, student organisations, faith leaders and professional bodies.
Other topics on the agenda go to the heart of government failures - which the new party is expected to capitalise on when fine-tuning a manifesto outlining policy. They will include a review of the electoral system to find ways of making political representatives more accountable to the electorate.
There will also be a debate about eliminating the system of patronage that dominates government, as well as plans to crack down on corruption. They will also aim to come up with proposals to make state-owned enterprises and the civil service more enterprising.
- Fin24.com