ACDP National Convention: A Ground-swell

I've just returned from Henley-on-Klip. Not from Oprah Winfrey's new school, although I did see it (looks like a modern office block). Actually, the 12-hour return trip was for ACDP's NAGC, or annual national convention.

I came away very encouraged - there was a lot of good news, some of which I'll be sharing over the next few days. More than that, I was just happy to listen and learn and to put my ear to the ground and hear what people are saying, thinking and feeling.

For me, the word that best describes the event is "ground-swell". In any conference like this, especially when votes are taken on potentially controversial issues like labour law, there is always chance for a bit of contention or bad feeling, especially when the attendants hail from so many different ethnic and economic backgrounds. In this light, I was stunned at the togetherness and unity in the party, with a sense of purpose in chasing one vision.

There was one amazing moment during one of Rev Meshoe's speeches, where he was discussing the fraud investigation of the Scorpions unit and how the announcement of allegations came a year after initial reports, timed perfectly as an attempted cover up of the investigations of Selebi. Rev Meshoe said boldly, "Enough is enough", and there was a massive roar from the crowd - a stadium type roar.

Truth is, there are many more than just ACDP supporters saying "Enough is enough". There is in fact a ground-swell of South Africans who are upset with the present system, but most feel that they are somehow powerless to react. In contrast, at this convention we were being presented with an alternative: a party that preserved traditional morals, that stood under the authority of the Bible rather than being a law to itself, and that had every intention of restoring good in this country.

I can still hear that roar...