The African National Congress (ANC) is to celebrate its past 95 years in style in Witbank on Saturday — but thoughts about the future are more likely to dominate the minds of those attending.
In nine months’ time, the ruling party has to make a watershed decision about who will be the new president of the ANC.
Saturday’s mass rally at the Witbank stadium is seen by many as the actual kick-off of the succession battle.
President Thabo Mbeki will be there, as will ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, his current main rival for the position of ANC president, which is to be decided at the party’s year-end conference.
Earlier in the week Mbeki and Zuma shared a jovial moment together, sipping champagne at Luthuli House in Johannesburg to celebrate the official birthday of the ANC.
This came as reports indicated that businessman Tokyo Sexwale had been asked to enter the race as a compromise candidate. This was denied by him.
Others who have been mentioned as possible candidates for the position, including ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will also attend the rally.
”The whole ANC national executive committee [NEC] will attend,” party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said.
”We also expect leaders from the South African Communist Party and Congress of South African Trade Unions, as well as others including businessmen and diplomats,” he added.
Although others will read out messages of support, Mbeki is the only speaker of the day. He is to outline the ANC’s priorities for the year in what has become to be known as the January 8 statement of the ANC NEC.
”Poverty, poverty, poverty and unemployment,” said Ngonyama, will be the focus, while the ”safety of our people” will also be discussed.
While this will be good news to the expected crowd of 20 000, Ngonyama gave no indication if the big issue of the ANC presidential election will also be on the list.
He did, however, say that this is a ”very, very important” rally as it is the prelude to the party’s policy conference, which happens in July, and the main event of the year — the ANC’s elective conference in December.
While the bigwigs will share the stage, the crowd is where the real indications of what to expect this year may come from.
Last year, Mbeki was booed during a ceremony for ANC stalwart Moses Mabhida — an incident that is under investigation by the party. Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who took over the position when Zuma was sacked, received similar treatment at some public events.
The ANC is checking up on all those who make use of party transport to the event, but it is open to the public and people are expected not only from Mpumalanga, but also the surrounding provinces. — Sapa