Mpumalanga and KZN ANC Branches to Skip Birthday Celebrations, Social Media Divided Over Decision

• The African National Congress will celebrate its 113th birthday at Khayelitsha’s Mandela Park Stadium on Saturday, 11 January
• ANC branches in both KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga confirmed that they would not be attending the celebrations
• South Africans are worried that the two branches will be punished for their decision not to attend the party's birthday bash

The African National Congress (ANC) is gearing up for its birthday celebrations, but not all of the party’s branches will be in attendance.

Branches in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga confirmed they would not attend the 113th birthday celebrations in the Western Cape.

The party officially turns 113 on 8 January 2025 but will celebrate the occasion at Khayelitsha’s Mandela Park Stadium on Saturday, 11 January.

Mpumalanga unhappy with venue size

On Monday, 6 January, the ANC’s provincial leadership in Mpumalanga issued a statement saying it had withdrawn its decision to send branches to the celebrations.

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One reason it cited was the size of the Mandela Park Stadium. Others have also criticised the venue's size, with the ANC defending its decision to use a smaller stadium.

“The PEC (provincial executive committee) 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 the light of this, the PEC has decided to prioritise our Mpumalanga provincial January 8 celebration,” a statement read.

The Mandela Park Stadium reportedly can only hold 2,000 people in the stands. Mpumalanga is planning its own provincial celebrations on 25 January at the Kameelrivier Ga Morwe Stadium, which can seat 8,000.

Last year, celebrations were held at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, but many members of the province didn’t attend either.

KZN concerned about member’s safety

KZN’s party spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele, confirmed that the province didn’t plan on bussing members to the rally either, but members could choose to go on their own.

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On 7 January, Mndebele stated that the possibility of road accidents was one reason why they chose not to bus people.

KZN members would have to travel 1600 km to Cape Town, with Mndebele adding that it would be irresponsible for the party to take a risk and pack members into buses just to attend.

Social media weighs in on branches’ decisions

South Africans weighed in on KZN and Mpumalanga's decision not to send members, with many worried they would be punished.

@uMzala_SA said:

“In all fairness, this is a reasonable stance to take. The logistics of sending people from KZN, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and even North-West to Cape Town is very dicey.”

@AwaitedOne1 added:

“Collective Wisdom👏🏽.”

@kolobe01 exclaimed:

“The Secretary General will put KZN and Mpumalanga’s PEC through a disciplinary committee for not attending 8 January. After that, I wonder who will be left. Is he going to charge all the ANC members? There will be no branches or members by the time they go to the next conference.”

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@poemoate said:

“Who cares? They will sing a different tune when they are hauled to the ethnic what-what.”

@DaveLamula said:

“They are 110% correct. It’s just a waste of time.”

@MlozanaAnele stated:

“They are going to be charged.”

Ramaphosa denies ANC is in decline

Briefly News reported that Cyril Ramaphosa doesn't believe the party's electoral performance is a sign of the party's decline.

The ANC previously won elections by a majority but lost that for the first time during the elections in May 2024.

Ramaphosa called on party members to be encouraged by their previous performance to change their ways.

Source: Briefly News