The ANC's national general council goes into a closed session on Tuesday, the second day of the mid-term policy gathering.

Delegates were expected to break into commissions to discuss a host of issues including economic transformation and peace and stability. The NGC began on Monday with a firm President Jacob Zuma laying down the law on discipline, lobbying, relations within the ruling alliance and public spats.

Zuma's political report, which was both conciliatory and critical of the of the alliance was well received by the SA Communist Party and the Congress of SA Trade Unions after months of strained relations. The ANC Youth League got a dressing down, with Zuma calling for a return of "revolutionary discipline" and described the chaos at some ANCYL conferences as "unacceptable".

He once again called for the debate over the 2012 leadership battle to be shelved until the appropriate time. He ended by deviating from his prepared report, saying that the NGC was not the time to debate new policy.

Nationalisation of the mines was a new policy which the youth league wanted delegates at the NGC to back and turn into ANC policy.

The ANC's 2000 delegates went into a closed session on Monday afternoon where they heard an organisational report by secretary general Gwede Mantashe and the treasurers report by Matthews Phosa. Mantashe's report broke down the functioning of the ANC since its divisive elective conference in Polokwane in 2012.

His report said people were treating the ANC like an employment agency and raised concern over ill-discipline.

The NGC continues.