By Carol Paton 

The rules say no Mbeki or JZ paraphernalia on the conference floor – but that didn’t stop the delegates from wearing their favoured candidate’s T-shirts and carrying their pictures aloft on arrival. Nor did it stop the aggressive booing or loudly singing the praises of leaders as they arrived to register for the conference in an airport hangar at Polokwane International Airport on Saturday night.

Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was on the receiving end: a crowd of Zuma supporters mobbed her as she left, booing and gesturing with their hands that she should “get out” and waving their fingers only inches from her face. Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool, who has led the pro-Mbeki campaign in his province was also aggressively booed but said “I don’t mind – earlier I was warmly received by delegates from the Eastern Cape.

“Explaining why he wanted Thabo Mbeki and others out of the ANC leadership, one delegate said: “You must lead for 10 years and then others must take over. Mbeki wants to lead us for life. We don’t like that kind of leadership.” Another who shouted “Msholozi!” (Zuma’s clan name) and stamped his foot as Mlambo-Ngcuka passed said that the time of the “blue-eyed families of the ANC” was over.

The hangar reverberated with pro-Mbeki and pro-Zuma songs as crowds of people brandishing T-shirts and posters parading up and down singing. Outside traditional Venda and Swazi dancers danced to drums as crowds of and cars carrying VIPS weaved through the narrow airport road.

ANC Deputy Secretary-General Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele said that the campaigning for leaders through singing and booing was “difficult to monitor”. The rationale for banning paraphernalia reflecting the images of individuals was to prevent people from acting in a divisive manner. “We’ve appealed for maturity, consistency and responsibility. If I express my solo voice, it doesn’t help anyone: nominations must be made by constitutional structures, that is, branches and provinces. We don’t want divisive actions.”The conference starts tomorrow morning at the University of Limpopo – whether delegates will be able to reign in their emotions on the conference floor remains to be seen. But judging by the today’s events, it may be hard to contain.