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Polokwane - There was chaos at the gates of the Polokwane council chambers in Limpopo on Friday with angry ANC youth league members demanding to be allowed inside the Jack Botes community Hall where President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to deliver the Peter Mokaba memorial lecture.
As a result, the lecture, which was meant to kick off at 2pm was delayed with Ramaphosa only arriving at 4pm.
The commotion began early afternoon when a group of about 100 members from the Peter Mokaba region (Capricorn district) stormed the gates.
They demanded that the SAPS and ANC security let them in as it was a Youth League event.
One of those at the forefront of the protest was ANC member Thabo Mabotja from Polokwane who claimed that the tags to allow people into the venue, were "issued in a factional manner."
He continued: "The whole process is flawed as the tags should have been fairly issued, not in the factional manner they have done."
Another member who was vocal within the crowd accused one Tony (position and surname not known) of favouring his faction.
"You gave tags to your friends, the friends you were drinking with last night. Go away," said the man who occasionally shouted expletives.
A woman in the crowd accused the organisers of giving tags to their girlfriends.
"You gave tags to slay queens, you're killing the organisation. Stop doing this, you are shutting out ANC volunteers who work day and night for the ANC," the unidentified woman said.
IOL understands that the ANCYL in the region is divided along the RET/CR17 lines.
At some points, more drama ensued after one group pushed for the gates to be opened while another demanded they be closed, almost exchanging blows.
At the time of the fracas, President Cyril Ramaphosa was not at the venue.
Only a handful of presidential guards were seen securing the area.
On Thursday, Ramaphosa had to abandon the Lilian Ngoyi memorial lecture also in Polokwane organised by the ANCWL, ostensibly due to Covid protocols not being followed.
Political Bureau