Members of the international and local press corps waited to record President Yar'Adua's first state visit to South Africa. In the background is a statue of Louis Botha, Afrikaner fighter against British colonialism, on horseback. (Photo Courtesy AllAfrica)

Johannesburg — THE African National Congress (ANC) is pushing full-steam ahead with its plans to fine-tune the party's Polokwane resolution to investigate setting up a statutory media appeals tribunal answerable to Parliament.

The ANC released its seven discussion documents yesterday, which focus on organisational renewal, economic transformation, legislature and governance, and media diversity and ownership, among others. These issues are to be thrashed out at its national general council in September, and secretary-general Gwede Mantashe invited the media and the public to participate in the debate.

Addressing journalists at the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg, Mr Mantashe said editors and media institutions who adopted a "laager" and "defensive" approach on the issue did so " at their peril". "It is up to them (the media) if they want to debate, to be on the defensive is not going to stop the debate," he said.

The issue was likely to dominate the four-day event in Durban when hundreds of ANC delegates will gather to review the work done by the party and set it on a collision course with media institutions.

"The investigation should further consider the mandate of the Media Appeals Tribunal and its powers to adjudicate over matters or complaints expressed by citizens against print media, in terms of decisions and rulings made by the existing self- regulatory institutions, in the same way as it happens in the case of broadcasting through the Complaints and Compliance Committee of Icasa," he said.

The council is an important midway gathering between elective conferences and allows the party to review policy. Traditionally it provides some insight into the policy direction of the party ahead of the policy conference preceding the next elective conference in 2012 -- the only meeting at which policy changes can be made .

Mr Mantashe cautioned that the council was not going to make "any big announcement" on the media tribunal given that the national executive committee was already probing the matter after the resolution taken at the elective conference in 2007.

Media institutions have slammed the proposed tribunal, warning that it would impede the media from operating freely.

On economic transformation Mr Mantashe hedged his bets whether the ANC would again be tabling the proposed job subsidy which was sent back to the drawing board after last week's Cabinet lekgotla.

He said the ANC would focus its debates and discussions on how best to get "new entrants" into the economy in large enough numbers. The proposed subsidy to companies as an incentive to hire inexperienced young people would be debated within that broader context.

On organisational review, he said the ANC was committed to discuss "the sins of incumbency", which relates to careerism, corruption and bureaucratisation as a result of the ANC becoming a ruling party.