South Africans expect the ANC to be a leader of society at all material times, but how are they going to take us seriously if we are going to be reactionaries? This is the sentiment expressed by an ANC supporter, Ziyanda Nxumalo, who believes the ANC would look desperate and be sore losers with their planned “counter” rally to take place in KwaXimba, KZN, on Sunday.
Nxumalo said: “We must just hope that people will come in numbers to support the rally. If not, we are going to be the laughing stock of the region.
“This move makes us look like we don’t have an idea of what we are doing, but in the eyes of the voters it would look like a desperate attempt to save face after what the MK Party has done.”
In the past weeks the MK Party hosted a well-attended rally, which was addressed by former president Jacob Zuma. KwaXimba is known to be ANC eThekwini’s biggest branch in the country, but it was, however, dismantled by gatekeeping and factionalism.
In its bid to galvanise support for Sunday’s mini rally and ultimately to show up the MK Party’s Moses Mabhida one, the provincial chairperson, Siboniso Duma, told residents that for people to experience warmth they first needed to go through coldness.
Duma was referring to the turbulence the organisation found itself building up with the upcoming general elections.
“We must experience the dark to understand light. Therefore, contrasting experiences are never bad but they are necessary to us as members of the ANC. This understanding will help all of us to remain on the right path and focus on fulfilling the historic mission of the ANC,” Duma said.
Duma said it was important that local election teams and the party’s oiled local election machinery placed the ANC at the centre of conversation in millions of households. What was pleasing was that during this face-to-face interaction with the people of Sobantu, he had experienced firsthand their deep love for the ANC.
“While they raised service delivery challenges that should be addressed, they expressed their confidence in the ANC as the only vehicle for the creation of a better KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
The ANC in the province said it was not countering Zuma's MK Party but were rather campaigning as they should.
It was reported that more than 10 000 people attended the MK Party’s mini-rally. It is yet to be seen if the ANC would hold a successful rally after what the MK Party has done.
Saturday Star
Sipho Jack
sipho.jack@inl.co.za