As campaigning hit top gear before next week’s local government elections, the ANC in the city enlisted the services of sangomas to cleanse the Solomon Mahlangu statue in Mamelodi which it said was “contaminated” by the DA.
The “cleansing ceremony” on Saturday was organised by the ANC Women’s League and local traditional leaders.
The sangomas, according to a source, claimed that “a white woman, presumably DA leader Helen Zille, had cast a spell on the statue”.
The “cleaning” ceremony, performed by several local traditional leaders, came 11 days after Zille addressed a Freedom Day rally attended by hundreds of DA supporters in Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square.
Among those who attended the cleansing ceremony were former Tshwane executive mayor and ANC provincial executive committee member Gwen Ramokgopa (now Deputy Minister of Health), Gauteng community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko, the ANC Women’s League regional chairwoman, Sonia Mabulawa, and Mahlangu’s mother, Martha.
Tempers flared at the rally with ANC supporters criticising Zille for staging the rally “where the statue of a Struggle hero was erected”.
The supporters claimed Mahlangu had been murdered by the “apartheid National Party government” and that the DA was part of that system.
The group said Mahlangu Square was their turf and that the DA had intruded. They later “cleaned” Mahlangu’s statue to rid it of the “DA dirt”, using a T-shirt with President Jacob Zuma’s face on it.
Zille told the rally that Mahlangu fought for a better South Africa and his death had been unnecessary.
“His death came at a time when the country was at war with itself.
“This was an unnecessary war and we should say that never and never again will there be oppression in this country,” Zille said.
Speaking at Saturday’s rally, Mabulawa said the DA would never control the Tshwane Metro Council.
“As women in Tshwane, we will make sure this does not happen. The DA will control Tshwane over our dead bodies,” she said.
Ramokgopa said Mahlangu died for all South Africans, “under the banner of the ANC, and no other banner”.
It was wrong for Zille to come to Freedom Square under the DA banner and claim that her party recognised the role played by Mahlangu, she said.
“Those are lies,” she added.
Ramokgopa said there were still problems in the Western Cape with most people in DA-run Cape Town being white.
“There are few African people in Cape Town,” she said.
Ramokgopa praised her successor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, for continuing with the municipality’s programme to eradicate informal settlements.
Responding to reports that the ANC women’s league had organised a cleansing ceremony at Mahlangu’s statue, Zille said yesterday that her party celebrated Freedom Day.
It was the most important day on South Africa’s political calendar and the DA celebrated at Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square - a public space, she added.
“Our Struggle heroes belong to all South Africans who cherish freedom. The DA is now the only party that represents the values of the Struggle.”
Zille said the DA was leading the struggle against poverty and unemployment.
“While the ANC has spent much of this (local government elections) campaign dividing South Africans along racial lines, the DA is uniting South Africans behind delivery for all.” - Pretoria News