Thousands of African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) members gathered at the Nkowankowa Stadium near Tzaneen in Limpopo on Saturday to celebrate the league’s 61st anniversary, which will be attended by former deputy president Jacob Zuma.
Zuma is currently on a tour of the country marking the league’s anniversary. He is said to be garnering support among the youth and workers prior to his corruption trial next year.
President Thabo Mbeki fired Zuma after a Durban High Court judge found there was a ”generally corrupt” relationship between him and his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik.
Zuma remains deputy president of the ANC. He has wide support in the ANCYL, South African Communist Party and Congress of South African Trade Unions.
ANCYL provincial secretary Julius Malema estimated the 10 000-capacity stadium would be filled with about 20 000 people by the start of proceedings.
”Right now, I’d say there are about 8 000 people here, but there are more coming in buffers. As soon as those people arrive, it may be more than 20 000 people,” he said.
There was a strong police presence with about 20 police cars outside the stadium and emergency-services crews inside the stadium.
League officials handed out bright yellow shirts marking the league’s anniversary to a cheering crowd. — Sapa