Cape Town – ANC national executive committee member Fikile Mbalula has warned troublemakers hoping to gatecrash the party’s People’s Assembly during the State of the Nation Address that they will be dealt with accordingly.
The ANC’s head of organising was addressing the media on Tuesday on preparations for the event taking place when President Jacob Zuma is scheduled to deliver his speech on Thursday.
Mbalula said the party had permission to have 30 000 people gather at the Grand Parade, close to the parliamentary precinct, in the city centre from 3pm.
He said that ANC leaders as well as their alliance partners who were not MPs would be in attendance to address the crowds, and added that ANC MPs alongside the president would join the event after Zuma had finished his address.
He said the president would not be making a second address as there would be no need to “bore” the masses with a similar speech, saying his appearance would be a “meet and greet” only.
He said the aim of having the event was to interact with the masses, and not just be spectators.
“It is our own endeavour not to become onlookers and entertain what opposition parties and everybody else does as though we don’t have a programme of action” he said.
““Next year we will be here again. we have allowed all sorts of people to come and gather in Parliament‚ protest and do all what they do and all we did, because we are a ruling party‚ was to put on our nice suits and lock ourselves inside and leave our people outside, but not this time.
“The ANC has decided that Parliament and all institutions of the state are not going to be isolated ivory towers, they must be accompanied by a rigorous‚ visible that takes the people along in all what we do,” he says.
“If we open the social distance and we are not in touch with them‚ they will be fed lies and the untruths about what this government does. We can’t blame it on anyone except ourselves if we are misinterpreted in what we do."
Mbalula says the gathering was not a show of force following the party’s dismal performance at last year’s municipal elections but rather a way of ensuring they did not lose touch with the people.
“We are shedding that off. In terms of some of the things that happened in the past, to ensure that we uphold what we are as the people’s movement in the People’s Assembly.
“And this is not the end of it, it is going to be unfolding every month where public representatives of the ANC will dedicate three days of their time to engage with community members and solve their problems.
On Tuesday Mbalula said their event was open to everyone, but added that those with ulterior motives would be harshly dealt with.
Last year the police had the task of separating feuding ANC members and those from the EFF in the city centre just hours before proceedings got under way in Parliament.
Stun grenades and water cannons had to be used on groups of protesters along Adderley Street, which had been closed off for the proceedings.
“People who are bringing anarchy and shenanigans in Parliament, they have their space so it is not necessary to interfere with an ANC event.
“We have booked and we have permission, we don’t want intruders who are coming with the intention to disrupt,” he said.