There was no contention about the content and context of the proposal on the second transition, ANC national executive committee member Tokyo Sexwale said on Thursday.

"Nobody is going to war about it," Sexwale said on the sidelines of the ANC's national policy conference in Midrand, Johannesburg.

"It's not about context. It will be a debate about the concept [of the second transition]."

According to reports on Thursday, the second transition proposal had been rejected by most provinces.

Sexwale said he could not comment on whether the proposal had been rejected.

"What I will say is... it is quite clear where the decision will go and that will be announced when we are having an open plenary," he said.

"Whatever views happened in commissions... will have to be collated, but at the end of the day whatever the view may be, it must be united."

From the commissions, the proposals would go to plenary sessions and then to the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung, in the Free State, in December.

"Whatever is going to come, it will be around concept," said Sexwale.

He said when the ANC was formed in 1912 it was formed on political and economic freedom.

"When people said in 1912 'what do you want?' we said... 'iAfrica Mayibuye' [return Africa to the people] before 'Amandla'. It was the first call of the ANC," said Sexwale.

"That's where the economy lies [in land]," he said.

Zuma said in opening the conference on Tuesday that the second transition would make the country a "true democratic developmental state... which has a number of instruments it can use to facilitate change".

The first transition was still important because it had ushered in an era of democracy in South Africa.

"The time has come to do something more drastic to accelerate change towards economic transformation and freedom." Zuma asked delegates to discuss the notion of a second transition when dealing with the strategy and tactics document.

"It is time to ask questions about the present and future... the last 18 years was the first transition. We are calling for a dramatic shift... to deal with the triple challenge[s] of poverty, unemployment and inequality," said Zuma.