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Children get into the rhythm before their show at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Joburg, where Gautengs ANC members gathered to kick off a month of celebrating the partys centenary. Photo: Chris Collingridge
They painted their faces in the ANC’s green, black and gold, and the ruling party hoisted its flags in many Joburg streets on Sunday.
In an early show of what the public can expect in the lead-up to the ANC centenary celebrations – to be held in Mangaung on January 8 – a large contingent of ANC members gathered in the Joburg CBD, including young children who were born years after the advent of democracy in SA, to begin celebrating the birth of the ANC.
The youngsters joined their parents in songs and dance. However, it was ANC veteran leader and Gauteng secretary of the ANC Women’s League, Ellen Lombard, who educated them about the importance of celebrating the ANC’s centenary.
Lombard, 67, told the cheering crowds that she was 19 when she joined the ANC in 1953.
Three years later, Lombard, who was classified coloured during the apartheid era, was caught sitting in a train compartment with “black women”.
The group had been en route to Pretoria to join other women in protest against the pass laws of apartheid president JG Strijdom in 1956.
She had boarded the train in Pinetown, as the only “coloured” in the compartment, but was kicked off the train and failed to make it to the protest march.
On Sunday, at Mary Fitzgerald Square, where the carnival celebrations were being held, the veteran leader pleaded with fellow ANC members to work hard for the ANC without “expecting payment or position”.
Reminiscing about her role, Lombard told the crowds that “God was with us all the way”.
She said she was going to appeal to ANC Gauteng chairman Paul Mashatile and his team “to go to church and thank God the Almighty”.
“I am 67 years. I was 19 years when I joined the ANC in 1953. I thank God for allowing me to see the 100 (years’ celebration) of the ANC,” said Lombard.
ANC and SACP leaders who spoke before Lombard noted that among ANC provincial leaders, Mashatile’s leadership had turned out well.
The ANC chairman sat quietly on his chair while leaders such as Gauteng MEC for Sports Lebogang Maile, Joburg ANC Women’s League leader Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, and SACP member and Gauteng MPL Hope Papo endorsed his leadership.
Maile said Mashatile had united the ANC in Gauteng and pleaded with other provinces racked by division to take a leaf out of his administration.
Similar comments were made by Nkomo-Ralehoko, who emphasised the importance of discipline.
“Elements (who are ill-disciplined) will be kicked out of the ANC. We need to unite and revive the ANC.”
Endorsing their comments, Papo said: “If there are differences in the ANC in Gauteng, these differences are not solved at press conferences, but at ANC meetings.”
There were no signs of dissenting voices during the talk about discipline among the group of people who had gathered at the square.
Once again, ANC and SACP leaders raised concern about a growing trend within their ranks to bribe people in order to get senior positions in government.
“Money is destroying the unity of our movement. We need to destroy corrupt networks in our ranks,” Papo said.
In his closing address, Mashatile made no mention of ill-discipline or corruption, but said the centenary celebrations would be meaningless if the living conditions of poor people were not improved.
“We cannot celebrate if we do not address the burning issues affecting them. We must focus on delivering houses, jobs and give them access to health-care facilities,” said Mashatile. - The Star
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Ralph Krall, wrote
Dear Ellen Lombard 05 December 2011 You are quoted saying “I thank God that I could see the 100 year celebration of the ANC.” That is very good for you. Are you sure you are not suffering from early memory loss or don’t you read the newspapers? Can you read? What, yes, you can, you say! Then you must know that over the last few years every second minister and government employee has been caught with their hand in the till. Or don’t you mind the fact that you are Not Any Better Off than you were when you first took the train to Pretoria? Most of these ANC ministers who had to resign or were Fired Are Very Well Off by having had monies channeled through various accounts of family members. There were no signs of dissenting voices during your gathering at the square, you say, because people are numb with shock about the thieving going on in the ANC. And you, my dear Ellen Lombard, talk about them as if they were manna from heaven, except the manna didn’t come from heaven but from the tax payers’ coffers. Keep on urging your members to work hard. This way they won’t have time to listen to the news or read the papers. I am afraid for all those big, ignorant “masses” who scream “Ubuntu”. Ralph Krall
Colleen, wrote
I will remind our readers and government alike of the tragic death of these kids everytime I see wasteful expenditure on the part of our ruling party and government, whilst they celebrate: Few weeks ago a pregnant Kedibone Mmupele had left early in the morning for the neighbouring farm 18km to look for food after their last mielie meal had run out the night before. She did not know that the children, Onkarabile, 2, Nkune, 6, Sebengu, 9, and Mapule, 7, had followed her. They died of hunger and dehydration
cad, wrote
yeah Juan this anc is another kind of evil beast ,blowing its own trumpet irrespective that the country is in a shambles .I to was an ANC suporter ,I also joined in the school riots doing battle with the police and did not have any reservations about what im doing because apartheid was evil .in sport my family always suported black sports people ,it was celebration time when mary dekker decked zola bud ,we partied when Tap Tap MAKATINI floored charle weire we also celebrated when larry holmes decked the beck kallie knoetze but right now im sick to my stomach with the blatant disregard this government has for it people .NEVER DID i think that i would agree with the nats but you gotta hand it to them ,their people never suffered ,poverty was very far from most minds and no one died of starvation under their watch but now we have a beast more evil than apartheid wher the anc is only in it for themselves enriching and living large like superstars and these imbeciles do not give a damn about anything but keeping the snouts firmly in the trough .they are going to be spending our hard earned money 400 million on their celebration ,how stupid its no more oh that childern are starving ,they are dying now of starvation but they unfazed it had to be gift of the givers that went out and helped those destitute people nothing from julius or the anc .we Come out of 48 years of unfair rule when the nats handed over power to the anc on a platter and that to me is coming home to haunt .the anc has no honor ,integrity or any desire for liberty for all s.aficans .they are what they are cowards raping and plundering the country resource like they desperate bandits and that abouts sums up africa as a whole .you cannot teach someone honor or how to be civilised ,hence if they are still there next elections ,i don't see any light at the end of the tunnel bull i see hell breaking loose .
Anonymous, wrote
hahaha - I think it is a "women-thing": “I am 67 years. I was 19 years when I joined the ANC in 1953. I thank God for allowing me to see the 100 (years’ celebration) of the ANC,” said Lombard.
Anonymous, wrote
quakes, wrote
Thats all they good for .... having a good time screaming clapping jumping and shouting like monkeys when the real issued are not being attended to. And in their minds they think they doing a wonderful job .... when they are actually far off course.
@Juan , wrote
Juan you sound more like those who benefited from "Die groot krokodil" and suffering from amnesia. South Africa is more better today than in 80s were corruption and racism was legal, all thanks to the ANC
Anonymous, wrote
Enjoy it while you can Apartheid National Corrupt party!! Your time is coming. SOUTH AFRICANS, DON'T BUY LOTTO TICKETS!!! A home for disabled people is closing down after being in operation for 64 years. After just 17 years of the ANCorrupt party being in power this home will now close down. The reason, THEY CANNOT GET FUNDS FROM THE LOTTO BOARD. WHY? BECAUSE THE ANCORRUPT ARE HAVING A PARTY. They are celebrating 100 years of what?? Just one example: Selebi: Achievements while in office: 150 000 - murdered, 500 000 women raped and 2,4 million robberies; and the ANCorrupt celebrate??
GF, wrote
As a political party have ANC permission to hang there flags out on the streets of Johannesburg and what constructive will come out of the R 400,000,000 being spent by them and the taxpayer???
mdk, wrote
Juan, wrote
Anc rule: 10 decreased average life expectancy, record murder and violent crime rate, increased poverty, 1million jobs lost (and counting), billions stolen from the poor with corruption. They have NOTHING to celebrate and should rather hang their heads in shame!
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