South Africa is not the first country to consider nationalisation, African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee member Tokyo Sexwale said on Monday.

"We will not be the first to nationalise and not to nationalise. Many people have done well with it, others have failed," he said on the sidelines of the ANC's mid-term policy review conference, the national general council, in Durban.

Sexwale was coy about whether he backed the proposal to nationalise South African mines, but said the council would consider the "pros and cons".

The ANC Youth League had been at the forefront of the push for nationalisation and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, an ANC ally, also supported the State playing an increased role in the mining sector.

"We just have to strike a balance about what our discussion will be, then if [it's going] to be implemented a balance as well," said the former businessman.

Sexwale said that he looked forward to a "very calm but also candid" conference and was adamant it was not the time to consider leadership.

"The conference must be very calm but also candid where people can express themselves very freely but also the most important issues are development here, see this conference is not elective.

"Many people must understand that it is merely a review, but it will be robust and I believe very candid," he said.

Reports had indicated that the conference would be a pre-cursor to the ANC's national elective conference in 2012, with the ANCYL already coming out in support of its former president, Fikile Mbalula, to replace current secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe.

Sexwale said that the NGC was about renewal for the ruling party.

"An organisation that is stationary will lose members as well as lose its position going forward in the future."