/ 16 December 2022

Overheard: Day one of the ANC conference

Anc 55 National Conference 8951
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza at the ANC's 55th elective conference. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
  1. “It is a bald-faced lie,” uttered by Pule Mabe, at around lunchtime on Friday, that 90% of delegates were registered for the ANC elective conferences, according to delegates from North West, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.
  2. “We have been here since 7am in the morning [on Friday] and we have not registered,” said a North West delegate. 
  1. “This thing is a mess. Pule lied to you journalists and the whole country when he said 90% of delegates were registered. A bald-faced lie,” said an Mpumalanga delegate.
  2. “We are sick and tired of load-shedding. I am telling you, we don’t want Ramaphosa. He must go.” Chanted from the side lines.
  3. “Don’t rush us,” Mabe tells journalists complaining about delays in the conference failing to begin.
  4. “Hehehehehe” — Jacob Zuma on his fashionably late arrival while Ramaphosa delivered his political report.
     
  5. “This sort of behaviour does not bode well for our movement.” — Cyril Ramaphosa.
  6. Ngenxa yakho!” (Because of you) a delegate softly, but audibly, said when Ramaphosa was delivering his political report and made mention of the poor voter turnout at the 2019 general election.
  7. “This was an act of counter revolution.” — Ramaphosa on the June 2021 riots.
  8. Maka hambe loyo!” (Let that one go) a delegate said when Ace Magashule was addressing the MKVA (Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association) about Ramaphosa stepping down.
  9. “The president must step down, like me.” — Magashule addressing the MKVA.
  10. “We want manual counting because there is a conflict of interest in this conference.” — Magashule.
  11. “So you want to make noise? Or do you want to listen to the political report?” — Gwede Mantashe.
  12. “Instead of hassling each other, let us be members of the ANC.” — Ramaphosa.

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