JOHANNESBURG (Sapa) - The African National Congress is keeping some of its leaders from serving in Parliament after the election to strengthen the party's headquarters, secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Tuesday.

"You will notice that there will be few NEC [National Executive Committee] members who do not go to Parliament because we are putting a lot of emphasis and importance on actually keeping the ANC running," he said.

Mantashe said a number of key "functions" had been identified and the people fulfilling them for the organisation would remain at the party's Chief Albert Luthuli House headquarters in central Johannesburg.

"Everyone wants to be on the list and there are going to be people who are going to be told in the ANC that 'we know that you want to go on the list, but sorry you are not going to go on the list, you must remain in Chief Albert Luthuli house so that we can run the organisation together'.

"[B]ecause a weak ANC translates into weak governance, a strong ANC translates into strong governance because when the ANC is vibrant it can call upon ministers to account," Mantashe told a media briefing in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Mantashe, his deputy, Thandi Modise and treasurer general Mathews Phosa would not have seats in Parliament and would remain at Luthuli House, he said.

Other "functions" identified include the head of organising and campaigns, the head of political education and ideological work, international relations, media and the party's policy institute head.

These posts were currently filled by NEC members.

The current head of organising and campaigns was NEC member and former youth league president Fikile Mbalula, head of communications Jessie Duarte and head of international relations Ebrahim Ebrahim. The rest of the posts were still vacant.

Duarte said it was irrelevant who those positions were being filled by at present and that Mantashe was merely conveying that those positions were full-time.

Turning to the economy, Mantashe expressed confidence in the country's ability to weather the global financial storm.

"We are confident that in the face of the global financial crisis South Africa will weather the storm. We won't get the six percent that we are aiming at during this period, but we are not going to have a negative growth in the economy, therefore, we are going to weather the storm.

"Our policies are sound, we are managing the economy well and we will continue doing so," he said.

The party's manifesto emphasised the "real economy", paying attention to industrial policy and the role of state-owned enterprises.

"We have been putting a lot of emphasis on the macro economy over the last period of time...  There is a lot of emphasis on the industrial policy, we are paying attention to the role of the state-owned enterprises, the role of the development of finance institutions... all of those issues are meant for the government to intervene directly and redirect investment where it is needed most," Mantashe said.

He expected Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's budget speech to "talk to the reality that there is a financial crisis, and the reality that it will affect everyone including us [SA]."

Mantashe said the country's monetary and fiscal policy after the 2009 elections, must address the economy's development objectives.

He also quashed predictions that the ANC would lose between four and five provinces in the upcoming election.

"We don't want a two thirds majority, we want a three thirds majority in any province including the Western Cape... our view is we will win this election and govern," he said.

The ANC was dealt a blow at the end of last year after it was defeated in by-elections in the Western Cape, with opposition parties claiming nine of 18 wards it had previously held.

Mantashe said despite "isolated incidents" of politically-motivated violence in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, he believed the upcoming election would be peaceful.

"We are going to have a peaceful election, I can predict that."

Mantashe added that the ANC would not be intimidated and would return to Nongoma to campaign and hold another rally, as the party felt it was making inroads in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

He dismissed allegations that the ANC was being provocative and increasing "political temperatures" in various provinces by holding rallies close to and on the same day as opposition parties.

Mantashe said no one political party owned any piece of South Africa, and opposition parties had to accept the ANC's holding rallies simultaneously with their own.

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