The working committees (PWC) of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal said there were no major policy differences.

"All issues related to the conference including the question of leadership must be discussed in a comradely manner without acrimony and tension," they said in a statement after meeting in Durban.

The Gauteng provincial executive council (PEC) voiced its support on Sunday for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to lead the ANC.

The KZN PEC has not yet made its own announcement for Mangaung. However, it is the home province of ANC president Jacob Zuma.

"The joint meeting agreed that a conducive environment must be created within the ANC for our branches and members to exercise their democratic rights to elect leaders of their choice," they said.

These rights must be exercised within the guidelines set out by the ANC's policy document "Through the eye of the needle."

The PECs said there were "no major policy differences" within the ANC and that the organisation had to be focused on maintaining unity.

It said the conference at Mangaung should focus on improving the quality of life for South Africans.