ANC to bestow its highest honour upon late Winnie in presence of thousands
The late ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is among those who will receive an award from ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, on the sidelines of a press conference to update the state of readiness for Saturday's ANC 107th birthday celebrations, confirmed to the Weekender that Madikizela-Mandela would be awarded Isitwalandwe - the party’s highest honour.
The award is given to those who made an outstanding contribution and sacrifice to the liberation.
The Eastern Cape-born Madikizela-Mandela died after a long illness in April 2018. Some of the previous award recipients include late SACP leader Joe Slovo.
Last year the ANC Youth League argued for Madikizela-Mandela to receive the award. The young lions believed that Madikizela-Mandela should have received the award while she was still alive.
It would be awarded at the Saturday’s celebrations where more that 100,000 ANC supporters would also get to hear what the ruling party promises to do should it win the May general elections.
Ramaphosa is expected to focus on key challenges facing the country, namely unemployment, crime, poverty, reigniting of the economy and the fourth industrial revolution. Provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said 5,000 Eastern Cape ANC members and supporters would be part of the crowd. Eastern Cape leaders arrived on Thursday for the preparations of the party’s biggest event of the year, he said.
“With the ANCs Eastern Cape holding a launch of the War Room and the symbolic January 8 celebrations held, all our hearts and minds are in Durban.
“The mood is electrifying and exciting. All I want is to have the first seat in the stadium. We are ready,” Ngcukayitobi said.
Most of those delegates arrived early with Saturday’s festivities commencing at 9am with messages of support from alliance partners, the SACP, Cosatu and SANCO.
Ramaphosa will then make his manifesto speech at 10am.
International guests from SADC countries and party leaders from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe are expected to attend.
Magashule warned that no “divisive T-shirts” will be allowed at the stadium, only T-shirt’s with past presidents of the ANC or ANC slogans will be allowed, he said.
“None of the members of the ANC must come and conduct themselves in a manner unbefitting to the context of the resolution of the 59th conference,” Magashule warned.
Following the manifesto launch, attendees will be treated to some of KwaZulu-Natal’s finest entertainers.
“We will have spectacular, fire brand, electrifying entertainment,” acting national spokesperson Dakota Legoete said.
On Sunday the ANC will host a beach party to target first time voters...
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