The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has joined Mpumalanga province in declaring that it will not send branches to the party’s 113th birthday celebration in the Western Cape.
This was confirmed by the provincial party spokesperson Mafika Mndebele yesterday. Ndebele said the party in the province had not planned to bus people to the rally, however, supporters can make their way to Cape Town if they wish.
He cited the possibility of road accidents as a reason to not bus people from the province as they will travel 1600 km to Cape Town, adding it will be irresponsible for the party to take such risk and load people in buses.
Mndebele, who is a member of the provincial legislature, said he paid for his flight to and accommodation in Cape Town because the party was not paying the costs for any party member to attend the rally.
The ANC will hold this year’s birthday celebration on Saturday in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
In a statement issued by the party’s provincial leadership in Mpumalanga, it said after careful consideration it had withdrawn its decision to send branches to the Western Cape. Although the party cited the small capacity of the Mandela Park stadium in Khayelitsha, it said it would rather focus on the preparations for its own provincial celebration scheduled for January 25.
“The Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) has taken a decision that our branches will no longer attend the event in Cape Town, the main reason for this decision is the small capacity of the venue. In light of this, the PEC has decided to prioritise our Mpumalanga provincial January 8 celebration,” read the statement.
The provincial rally will be in Nkangala region in Kameelrivier Ga Morwe stadium.
The party’s national leadership has since clarified the confusion over the capacity of the venue in Khayelitsha. Speaking to the media on Monday, national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri dismissed reports that the stadium only accommodates 2 000 people, stating that it is a 22 000 seater venue. She also defended the party’s decision to take its celebration to a province that is run by the opposition DA, saying Khayelitsha was a big stronghold of the party since 1994 and it was important that the party not forget the people of the township.
The party held its first national executive committee meeting of the year yesterday to finalise the statement that will be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party was also expected to finalise whether it would disband the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng leadership after their dismal performances in last year’s national and general elections.
Cape Times