It was a packed house at East London’s Uloyiso Community Church on Saturday as the PAC launched its provincial manifesto ahead of the national and provincial elections in May.
The party also used the occasion to celebrate its 60th birthday.
Earlier, the PAC held two protest marches at the Sanlam offices in Vincent and at Mercedes-Benz SA in West Bank, demanding justice for apartheid victims as the companies had benefited under the system.
PAC provincial secretary Phumzile Nomnga said: “We demand justice for apartheid victims. Sanlam and Daimler Chrysler were identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission [TRC] as collaborators of the apartheid regime. They funded and benefited from apartheid. Daimler manufactured the hippos [apartheid police van] that killed our people while Sanlam also benefited from the regime.
“The TRC recommended that the listed companies should pay 1% at market rate of their nett profits to the victims of apartheid but the government said they should rather pay out of their goodwill. The government announced in 2013 they they were running short of the funds to compensate apartheid victims,” said Nomnga.
Former PAC president Luthando Mbinda, an MP, and the deputy president of the party, Mzwanele Nyhontso, were among the hundreds of members who attended the protests and manifesto launch.
“This is the party of land and revolution. What you fought for then, is still relevant even today. We are going to fight for it even today. The struggle has always been about land and until the land is returned to its rightful owners, we will keep on fighting,” said Nyhontso.
“We have not achieved what you spent years for on Robben Island and the time is now for PAC members to invite the spiritual motivation from the fathers of our movement.”
Provincial chair Sandla Goqwana emphasised the party’s stance on land. “This land does not belong to all who live in it. This land belongs to the African people. African people are the natives and owners of this particular land,” he said.
Goqwana promised voters that under PAC rule there would be free education from the foundation phase to degree level for all African children.“The PAC will deal with corruption; we will equate it to murder. If you get your hands in the public purse you must be given the maximum sentence, which is 25 years, whether you steal R10 or thousands or a million.“We are therefore saying [Jacob] Zuma and his friends must go to jail,” said Goqwana to loud applause...