Nelspruit - The ANC's call for the Mpumalanga government to boycott the cultural festival Innibos is short-sighted, the DA in the province said on Wednesday.
“To boycott the event will be short sighted by the ANC,” Democratic Alliance provincial leader Anthony Benadie said in a statement.
“This event is known as a welcoming cash investment in the local economy and has always opened its doors to all racial and cultural groups.”
The African National Congress's Mpumalanga secretary Lucky Ndinisa reportedly said the decision was taken at a lekgotla for all provincial government departments to stop funding the festival.
“Innibos... stands opposed to all reconciliatory initiatives the ANC and its government has over the past 21 years sought to build in South Africa,” The Star newspaper quoted him as saying.
“We will direct government employees to withdraw funding. There will be no municipal or government employees, be they traffic officers, the police or the emergency services.”
Ndinisa reportedly said the ANC would lobby government not to allow Hoërskool Bergvlam to provide a venue for the festival.
The call came even after the organisers booted controversial Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr out of this year's show.
Last year Hofmeyr sang “Die Stem” to a 45,000-strong crowd at the festival.
Benadie on Wednesday said Innibos, a private initiative, had in the past gone to great lengths to diversify the festival and host an inclusive event.
“The ANC have based their assertions on the incident last year, when Steve Hofmeyr sang unannounced 'Die Stem'.
“The organisers of the event could not predict the actions of Hofmeyr, and it is our understanding that he has not been invited to the 2015 event.”
He said Innibos provided an economic injection of about R18 million in the Lowveld, which benefited people living around Mbombela.
“A boycott of the festival will only serve to hurt communities that benefit from this initiative.”
Sapa