The ANC in the Eastern Cape has vowed to lure back white voters in pursuit of the party’s founding principle of non-racialism.
Newly elected ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he had already held informal meetings with business people who were largely white after his re-election into office in October.
“I’m going to convene breakfast meetings, in particular targeting white people who are all over the Eastern Cape, and discuss what is it that we can do so they can return to the ANC.
“The ANC was formed based on principles of non-racialism. We cannot allow a situation in which it now becomes a blacks-only party,” said Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said the feedback they were getting on the ground was that one of the reasons people chose not to attend ANC meetings was the culture of not being sensitive to time.
Ramaphosa has already set a precedent when the rally programme started on time, a practice foreign to events organised by the 106-year old liberation movement.
“We are making a commitment that going forward we will make sure that, starting from ward level, when our leaders convene branch or community meetings, they have to be sensitive and be punctual. That will be the best way to make people understand and believe us when we say we are going to do things differently going forward, and make sure that the ANC leads by example,” said Mabuyane.
The party is on a renewal path, following a dramatic decline in support in its historic backyards such as Nelson Mandela Metro, which it lost in the 2016 local elections.
About 120000 attended its birthday bash held at the Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday.
But it was the absence of AmaMpondo King Zanozuko Sigcau from the party’s VIP guests list which shocked many.
Mabuyane yesterday unreservedly apologised to the king “for the bad treatment”.
Sigcau of Ndimakude Great Place in Flagstaff was one of the VIP guests at the Friday night ANC gala dinner held at the East London International Convention centre, where the who’s who of business and politics, as well as senior members of royal houses, rubbed shoulders with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and his 80-member national executive committee. But to the surprise of the Sigcau royal house senior staff, the king did not receive an invite to the Saturday rally.
The king’s spokesman Prince Mzwandile Maraqana told the Dispatch yesterday that they waited in vain for accreditation to attend the rally.
“As a result, the king decided to just remain at the hotel because it did not make sense to us that we would be invited as a nation to a gala dinner and not to the rally. And we opted to keep quiet and not make an issue out of it,” said Maraqana, who handles the king’s diary on such occasions.
Mabuyane said as the hosting province of the Saturday event he received a report that “King Zanozuko did not receive his invite as our special guest.
“For that, we apologise unreservedly as the ANC.
“I understand that there were so many guests but King Zanozuko is one of our kings and he was supposed to get a seat as our VIP guest. We regret this.”
But Maraqana said they had no reason to blame Mabuyane’s office nor the ANC.
“We regard this as just miscommunication between the two offices.
“We fully accept the apology. I don’t think we need to take the matter any further. It is not his own making,” said Maraqana.
The incident occurred a day after the Dispatch reported on concerns raised by the leadership of Contralesa – a congress representing traditional leaders in the country. Contralesa complained about the decision of Ramaphosa to visit only three of the six kings in the province.
Ramaphosa, after visiting Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini a week ago, left the province for the Eastern Cape as part of a build-up to Saturday’s rally. He visited Xhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu near Willowvale, acting Tembuland King Azenathi Dalindyebo in Bumbane Great Place, and AmaRharhabe Regent-Queen Noloyiso Sandile at Mngqesha Great Place.
The congress accused him of snubbing Sigcau, King Ndamase Ndamase of Western Pondoland and King Siyambonga Matanzima of Western Tembuland.
Another teething problem recorded on the day was the non-payment of hundreds of marshals who were assisting in managing the crowds at all three venues and en route to the rally.
Mabuyane said he received a report which “states that some of our marshals did not get food as promised”.
One of the marshals, Kholz Madala Rauza, contacted the Dispatch on Facebook on Sunday, saying he wanted to expose the treatment they received.
He said they worked for two days, but “only got paid R200”.
Mabuyane said: “We are deeply sorry and apologise that our marshals who worked so hard, experienced such things. This is one event which saw our people responding massively.
“We are very humbled by the support shown by our people,” he said.
EC ANC wants white voters to come back
Newly elected ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he had already held informal meetings with business people who were largely white after his re-election into office in October.
“I’m going to convene breakfast meetings, in particular targeting white people who are all over the Eastern Cape, and discuss what is it that we can do so they can return to the ANC.
“The ANC was formed based on principles of non-racialism. We cannot allow a situation in which it now becomes a blacks-only party,” said Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said the feedback they were getting on the ground was that one of the reasons people chose not to attend ANC meetings was the culture of not being sensitive to time.
Ramaphosa has already set a precedent when the rally programme started on time, a practice foreign to events organised by the 106-year old liberation movement.
“We are making a commitment that going forward we will make sure that, starting from ward level, when our leaders convene branch or community meetings, they have to be sensitive and be punctual. That will be the best way to make people understand and believe us when we say we are going to do things differently going forward, and make sure that the ANC leads by example,” said Mabuyane.
The party is on a renewal path, following a dramatic decline in support in its historic backyards such as Nelson Mandela Metro, which it lost in the 2016 local elections.
About 120000 attended its birthday bash held at the Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday.
But it was the absence of AmaMpondo King Zanozuko Sigcau from the party’s VIP guests list which shocked many.
Mabuyane yesterday unreservedly apologised to the king “for the bad treatment”.
Sigcau of Ndimakude Great Place in Flagstaff was one of the VIP guests at the Friday night ANC gala dinner held at the East London International Convention centre, where the who’s who of business and politics, as well as senior members of royal houses, rubbed shoulders with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and his 80-member national executive committee. But to the surprise of the Sigcau royal house senior staff, the king did not receive an invite to the Saturday rally.
The king’s spokesman Prince Mzwandile Maraqana told the Dispatch yesterday that they waited in vain for accreditation to attend the rally.
“As a result, the king decided to just remain at the hotel because it did not make sense to us that we would be invited as a nation to a gala dinner and not to the rally. And we opted to keep quiet and not make an issue out of it,” said Maraqana, who handles the king’s diary on such occasions.
Mabuyane said as the hosting province of the Saturday event he received a report that “King Zanozuko did not receive his invite as our special guest.
“For that, we apologise unreservedly as the ANC.
“I understand that there were so many guests but King Zanozuko is one of our kings and he was supposed to get a seat as our VIP guest. We regret this.”
But Maraqana said they had no reason to blame Mabuyane’s office nor the ANC.
“We regard this as just miscommunication between the two offices.
“We fully accept the apology. I don’t think we need to take the matter any further. It is not his own making,” said Maraqana.
The incident occurred a day after the Dispatch reported on concerns raised by the leadership of Contralesa – a congress representing traditional leaders in the country. Contralesa complained about the decision of Ramaphosa to visit only three of the six kings in the province.
Ramaphosa, after visiting Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini a week ago, left the province for the Eastern Cape as part of a build-up to Saturday’s rally. He visited Xhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu near Willowvale, acting Tembuland King Azenathi Dalindyebo in Bumbane Great Place, and AmaRharhabe Regent-Queen Noloyiso Sandile at Mngqesha Great Place.
The congress accused him of snubbing Sigcau, King Ndamase Ndamase of Western Pondoland and King Siyambonga Matanzima of Western Tembuland.
Another teething problem recorded on the day was the non-payment of hundreds of marshals who were assisting in managing the crowds at all three venues and en route to the rally.
Mabuyane said he received a report which “states that some of our marshals did not get food as promised”.
One of the marshals, Kholz Madala Rauza, contacted the Dispatch on Facebook on Sunday, saying he wanted to expose the treatment they received.
He said they worked for two days, but “only got paid R200”.
Mabuyane said: “We are deeply sorry and apologise that our marshals who worked so hard, experienced such things. This is one event which saw our people responding massively.
“We are very humbled by the support shown by our people,” he said.
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