ANC veterans meet with top party officials

The stalwarts say it was a productive meeting with discussions around the need for a National Consultative Conference (NCC) and how it will help the party address the challenges it is facing.

The party saw a significant loss of support during last year's municipal elections.

President Jacob Zuma has also faced a motion of no confidence, not only in Parliament, but in the party itself.

"The meeting re-affirmed the agreement to work towards the NCC. The parties to the meeting underlined the understanding that the NCC should not just be a single event but as part of a process that should go beyond both the policy and elective conferences of the party," the stalwarts say in a statement.

According to the stalwarts, the meeting identified three areas that need to be worked on by a small team representing both the stalwarts and the ANC officials:

1. The timing of the conference, to work towards agreement on the best date when the NCC  should be held, taking into account, the Policy Conference is scheduled for June 2017.

2. The content and structure of the conference, in order to ensure maximum unfettered engagement by participants.

3. The representation at conference, to ensure that all relevant structures are adequately represented to ensure coverage of all issues that can be identified as causal to the challenges currently being faced by the organisation.

"This meeting is part of the ongoing introspection to ensure the challenges the ANC and country face are fully understood and to find solutions that are in the interests of the people of South Africa," say the stalwarts.