The African National Congress (ANC) was notably absent from a debate among various political parties about economic policies held on Wednesday at the University of Witwatersrand.

However, for a brief time, their supporters made their presence loudly and vigorously heard.

Before the debate started, a few dozen ANC supporting students stood up in the half-filled cavernous Wits Great Hall and started singing and dancing that "we are with Zuma" and "the cowards will run away."

On the other side of the hall, Congress of the People (Cope) supporters turned the performance into a sing-off as a smaller group of them also got up to sing and dance.

However the minute the event started, the panelists were announced and it became clear that the ANC was not represented, dozens of ANC supporters got up and left the hall, one even waving goodbye.

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) representative Narend Singh commented on the students' action saying, "It's also good to be a good listener as well, not always talking."

Also represented at the debate were the United Democratic Movement (UDM), the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Cope.

Political analyst Daryl Glaser called the ANC the "massive big elephant in the room" saying it would have been "very nice [if it had been there] to answer for itself".

Debate organiser Thulani Fukade told the audience, "the ANC was invited but they couldn't make it because they apparently had a manifesto launch at Gallagher Estate today."

"All of them?" muttered one of the panelists.

When it came to the actual debate, the economic policy theme seemed to lend itself as a platform for a wide variety of thought both on and off topic.

The Dalai Lama popped up in DA representative Sejamothopo Motau's speech.

He said actions like when the government refused the Dalai Lama a visa, ensured "we are no longer the darlings of the world."

This meant, he said, South Africans needed to carefully consider their upcoming vote.

"If they [the world] think we are sliding. They will punish us for that."

The FF Plus's Anton Alberts quite neatly tied up his Dalai Lama reference to economics.

"We must not stop the Dalai Lama from entering the country. We must stop Chinese dumping that destroys the local industry," he said.

The UDM's Bantu Holomisa used some of his time at the podium to suggest a possible Schabir Shaik conspiracy theory.

He asked if it was possible "Shaik threatened to sink the ANC if he was not released prior to elections".

He said Schabir's brother, Chippy, was "at the heart" of the arms deal and could be in possession of incriminating evidence.

Returning to economics, Cope's representative JJ Tabane said he did not mind if he was considered an "alarmist", but he truly believed the "SA Communist Party-tainted ANC policies" meant if the ANC returned to power, South Africa would experience a "communist takeover".

"The world watches us as we slide towards something that has never worked anywhere," he said.

Tabane said in fact there was "no need to reinvent the wheel" with current economic policies, only to change their implementation.

"In order for us to make the economy work, we have to change the driver and not the car," he said,

"The current unlicensed driver cannot be allowed to further ride our economic policy."

Both Cope and the FF Plus said agricultural development was a key issue in the country's economy.

"The farmer has been made enemy number one," said FF Plus's Alberts.

He said when land was expropriated it often then went to waste and animals died from neglect.

On the other hand, he said, farmworkers could not be exploited.

A balance had to be found towards increasing food production, export and ensuring rural development.

Addressing the global financial crisis, a number of the parties proposed that some form of State intervention was needed to help South Africa out.

The country needed "State intervention in a big way to take South Africa out of a quagmire which is not of its making," said the UDM.

The FF Plus said South Africa should follow the US, which said "Yankees first" and then voted in Obama.

"We must think South Africa first," said Alberts.

Besides talking shop to the audience, the panellists also got some star treatment. During the debate, there was clapping and whistling according to the popularity of the panelist's point of view.

Afterwards, many scrambled to have a word with their favourite politician.

However, more popular than anyone in politics, seemed debate facilitator Tim Modise. He had not just the audience, but also the panelists vying for his attention.

During FF Plus' Albert's speech he told the audience he was happy to say that backstage Modise had agreed to join their party.

"...As an affirmative action Afrikaner," quipped Modise.