By Prakash Naidoo

After a night of jubilant celebration by Jacob Zuma’s supporters, party-weary delegates started the fourth day of the ANC’s national conference in various commissions that will formulate policy for the next five years.

However a much-anticipated press conference by the new ANC president was cancelled at the last moment after it emerged that the new leadership, which met informally late last night, had decided that Zuma ought to speak to party members first before addressing the nation.

Zuma will now speak for the first time as ANC president when he delivers the closing address to the conference tomorrow.

Many of the local and international news agencies working out of the media centre here at the conference centre said they had planned to carry the press conference live on their radio stations.

“There a very keen interest in this story back home,” said one Europe-based journalist. “We would have carried it live on the radio stations, but I guess we can wait until tomorrow”.

This latest slight against the media comes at a time when journalists are still smarting from the appalling facilities and treatment they encountered at the conference venue.

On Tuesday, several journalists and photographers were physically manhandled by ANC security personnel, where expensive camera equipment was damaged. On Monday, journalists were told to arrive at the conference venue for the open sessions, only to be turned away by over-zealous marshals.

Adding to the indignity, no seating was provided for journalists in the conference tent and those attending the opening session had to crouch on the floor in front of the stage. The stand-off turned particularly nasty when two photographers outside the voting station yesterday were “attacked” by an irate finance minister, Trevor Manuel, brandishing an umbrella.

Conditions had deteriorated to such an extent that the SA Editors’ Forum dispatched an outraged letter of protest to the ANC’s Smuts Ngonyama, deploring the shabby facilities and inadequate arrangements for the media.

“Sanef wishes to remind the ANC that proper media coverage of this critical event, the importance of which goes way beyond the ANC and its internal dynamics and strife, should be a priority for the governing party,” the letter read.

This morning Sanef said Ngonyama had issued an apology for the “boorish behaviour”.