By Thokozani Mtshali
President Thabo Mbeki's visit to KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday will be marked by tight security and vigilance by the police, to prevent potential disruptions by supporters of embattled ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma.
This will be Mbeki's first visit to KwaZulu-Natal since he fired Zuma from the cabinet in June and replaced him with Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Unlike the usual imbizos, attendance at Saturday's function will be restricted to mayors, councillors and invited guests.
All of them will also need prior accreditation to enter the meeting's venue at Ndwedwe, in an apparent attempt to avoid a repeat of what happened to Mlambo-Ngcuka on August 9 when angry Zuma supporters booed her off the stage during a rally at Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial government spokesman Thabang Chiloane said the imbizo targeted only those involved in local government and was never meant for the general public.
However, the choice of the venue itself also indicates that both government and the ANC are wary of the masses - some of whom have recently demonstrated strong anti-Mbeki sentiment.
The rally will be held at Ndwedwe, an IFP stronghold, which also falls under the IFP controlled Ilembe Municipality, where it is presumed that people are less concerned about internal wrangling in the ANC.
Some in the province say this was seen as a better option than areas where Zuma's support is strong, such as Durban, where supporters have shown their anger by - among other things - burning ANC T-shirts bearing Mbeki's face, heckling provincial premier Sbu Ndebele, pelting him with stones and bottles and disrupting his public addresses.
Ndebele is generally seen by many in the ANC's rank and file in the province as a Mbeki man, who has stated that Mbeki should stay for another term as ANC president.
But the provincial government insisted the venue was chosen "because Ilembe is one of those municipalities in the province that have been identified as needing intervention by the provincial and national governments", said Chiloane.
Chiloane said preparation for Mbeki's arrival was almost complete and the main focus was on areas such as security and communication, for which he could give no further details.
"I am not privy to security arrangements but I presume security issues would be handled in the same manner as when the president is visiting any other province," he said.