The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) will not interfere with the ANC Youth League’s march programme, it said on Thursday.
Chairperson Kebby Maphatsoe told reporters in Johannesburg the organisation would not comment on the youth league’s economic freedom march.
“How they celebrate [former ANC president] Oliver Tambo’s birthday is up to them,” he said.
The MKMVA would hold its own celebrations of Tambo’s birthday at Lillieslief Farm in Sandton on Thursday.
Maphatsoe said United States civil rights leader Jesse Jackson would be the keynote speaker at the celebration.
Earlier, the youth league said it would hold its planned night vigil at another venue, after being denied permission to do so at the Union Buildings.
“The march will go ahead as planned, but the vigil will be held at a separate venue,” the league’s spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said.
The league said its leadership was in discussions with the Tshwane metro police and other authorities on the vigil’s venue.
Tshwane metro police denied the youth league permission to hold a vigil outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday night.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Console Tleane said this was decided at a meeting with the convenors of the march, the metro police, the SA Police Service, the Tshwane emergency services and the presidency on Tuesday.
“The presidency declined the request for the league to hold a vigil on Thursday night at the Union Buildings South Lawns, citing the fact that the Union Buildings is a national key point,” Tleane said in a statement.
However, permission was granted for the league to march to the Union Buildings on Friday morning to hand a memorandum to the presidency.
The league had planned to stage its “economic freedom” march from Johannesburg to Pretoria to highlight the plight of the poor on Thursday, hold a night vigil on Thursday evening, and then present the memorandum on Friday morning. — Sapa