The ANC is going to go all-out to be central to this year’s University of Fort Hare (UFH) centenary celebrations.
Making the announcement, ANC provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle said the move was part of key decisions made at the two-day ANC lekgotla in East London that ended yesterday.
“We have long agreed that the celebration, much as it is UFH’s celebration, is also the celebration of the ANC itself,” Masualle said.
“We associate with that history and therefore it makes it as though it’s the ANC’s own centenary. “We will be party to all the efforts to celebrate that history because it mirrors the history of the ANC itself as we celebrated its centenary four years ago,” he said.
Fort Hare opened its doors on February 8 1916, four years after the African Native Congress was formed.
Most well-known ANC activists and other African leaders studied at the then-Alice-based university.
These included the late ANC president Oliver Tambo, the late statesman Nelson Mandela, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Pan-African Congress leader Robert Sobukwe.
Other UFH alumni include Botswana’s first democratic president Seretse Khama, Tanzania’s President Julius Nyerere, Zambia’s president Kenneth Kaunda, and Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Influential business persons such as Sizwe Nxasana, Khaya Ngqula, Wendy Luhabe, Bulelani Ngcuka, Orlando Pirates’ owner Irvin Khoza, and Free State premier Ace Magashula, also attended the university.
“We will be forming part of some of the adjacent programmes to celebrate the history of that institution,” Masualle said.
Masualle said the performance of the provincial education department was also central to the discussions, and the plan to slash education districts from 23 to 12, was one of the strategic moves planned in a bid to sort out the departments’ problems.
Education MEC Mandla Makupula took the flak for the poor performance of the matric class of 2015.
Eastern Cape matrics recorded a 56.8% pass rate – down by more than 8% compared to 2014. The province was the worst performing region in the country.
The Dispatch has reported on the provincial government’s plan to close down dysfunctional schools, affecting more than 2000 schools, where pupil enrolment is less than 200. Masualle said the lekgotla endorsed the plan and also asked Makupula to fill all schools principal posts “to ensure there is effective management” at all schools.
The meeting also discussed the drought crisis in the province. The hardest-hit districts include Amathole, Chris Hani, Sarah Baartman, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi.
Masualle said declaring them drought disaster areas would enable national government to release more funds to help those adversely affected.
“The lekgotla has directed that every effort must be done so that we can continue getting more land to be productive ,” Masualle added.
ANC ‘central’ to Fort Hare centenary
Making the announcement, ANC provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle said the move was part of key decisions made at the two-day ANC lekgotla in East London that ended yesterday.
“We have long agreed that the celebration, much as it is UFH’s celebration, is also the celebration of the ANC itself,” Masualle said.
“We associate with that history and therefore it makes it as though it’s the ANC’s own centenary. “We will be party to all the efforts to celebrate that history because it mirrors the history of the ANC itself as we celebrated its centenary four years ago,” he said.
Fort Hare opened its doors on February 8 1916, four years after the African Native Congress was formed.
Most well-known ANC activists and other African leaders studied at the then-Alice-based university.
These included the late ANC president Oliver Tambo, the late statesman Nelson Mandela, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Pan-African Congress leader Robert Sobukwe.
Other UFH alumni include Botswana’s first democratic president Seretse Khama, Tanzania’s President Julius Nyerere, Zambia’s president Kenneth Kaunda, and Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Influential business persons such as Sizwe Nxasana, Khaya Ngqula, Wendy Luhabe, Bulelani Ngcuka, Orlando Pirates’ owner Irvin Khoza, and Free State premier Ace Magashula, also attended the university.
“We will be forming part of some of the adjacent programmes to celebrate the history of that institution,” Masualle said.
Masualle said the performance of the provincial education department was also central to the discussions, and the plan to slash education districts from 23 to 12, was one of the strategic moves planned in a bid to sort out the departments’ problems.
Education MEC Mandla Makupula took the flak for the poor performance of the matric class of 2015.
Eastern Cape matrics recorded a 56.8% pass rate – down by more than 8% compared to 2014. The province was the worst performing region in the country.
The Dispatch has reported on the provincial government’s plan to close down dysfunctional schools, affecting more than 2000 schools, where pupil enrolment is less than 200. Masualle said the lekgotla endorsed the plan and also asked Makupula to fill all schools principal posts “to ensure there is effective management” at all schools.
The meeting also discussed the drought crisis in the province. The hardest-hit districts include Amathole, Chris Hani, Sarah Baartman, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi.
Masualle said declaring them drought disaster areas would enable national government to release more funds to help those adversely affected.
“The lekgotla has directed that every effort must be done so that we can continue getting more land to be productive ,” Masualle added.
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