The African National Congress has held a successful and fulfilling celebration to acknowledge its 100 years of existence. As expected, the three-day celebrations marked the beginning of the year long celebrations on a high note. As a result of this success, we would like to salute the people of South Africa for an unambiguous show of support for the ANC. We can now say without any doubt that the centenary celebrations will stand out as a nationally celebrated event in the country. It was indeed a historic moment that will serve as a reference point for all other occasions. As a result of our mobilization plan, we had targeted a total of 100 000 thousand people in addition to the 6000 invited guests, however the numbers went beyond that target. The people of the Free State province gave our event their all. We believe that the occasion impacted positively on the local economy and has placed Mangaung firmly on the political map of the country and as well as significant symbol in the political history of the country.
Our sponsors both private individuals and corporate made it possible for us to have such a successful event, and we want to thank them profoundly. Their generosity has once again confirmed that the ANC remains a people’s organization irrespective of class and ideology.
We would like to thank all parties that turned up for the centenary events particularly the opposition parties, traditional leaders, faith based organisations, organisations of civil society, ANC leagues, the alliance and above all the diplomatic core and Heads of State who graced our occasion. Their messages of support and advice will certainly inform the ANC as it prepares itself to take another long walk to the second centenary. Their presence and messages of support defined the ANC beyond the limitations of political beliefs and national boundaries. The artists and poets did a sterling job in keeping the crowds on their toes. We regret the passing on of Mr. George Nxusa at the Mangaung Outdoor Sports Complex on Saturday before their performance. Mr. Nxusa was the base guitarist of IhashiElimhlophe. The ANC will dispatch a delegation from the KZN province to meet his family and formally convey the ANC’s condolences. May his soul rest in peace.
We have also received impressive and positive responses from the public on the performance ‘Tshihumbudzo’ which was broadcasted on Saturday night. We will be reproducing the play for distribution to those who have an interest in having a copy.
We also want to commend the disciplined conduct of all our members and supporters for an incident free occasion. We noted a handful of people in the crowd who behaved in an unruly manner and we have confirmed that most of them were drunk. The role of the police and our marshals was reassuring and helped in controlling the huge crowds that turned out. The media also played a positive and critical role in providing useful information and presentation of the celebrations. We like to say thanks to them.
We apologise for any glitches that might have occurred particularly at the accreditation of guest, the media and service providers. Our original plan was disrupted when we were allocated a different venue which had space limitations. We are also apologizing to some of our guests when it comes to allocation of accommodation. The marshals core issue was resolved after there was a breakdown of communication between the various units. We also want to clarify the issue of the non-inclusion of the ANCYL message in the booklet of the centenary. At the time of printing the booklet, we had not received the message of the ANCYL. It was not deliberately left out as suggested in some sections of the media.
Having kick-started the celebrations we will now move forward in the implementation of the provincial programmes that will focus on the former Presidents General and Presidents of the ANC, their collectives and their legacy. The first province to host the National celebrations in provinces is the province of the Free State.Following the declaration of the Waaihoek Wesleyan Church as the heritage site, the houses used by the ANC and its founding leaders in the Free State province, are in the process of being declared heritage sites. The ANC in the province has taken a decision to restore and upgrade the graves of ANC leaders who come from the Free State.
The contribution of the Aba-Thembu and Contralesa of 50 and two cattle respectively will be distributed to all provinces as they host the celebrations. These will be donated on batches of 5 per province. The Free State Province has received its quota of five and will work out a plan for their slaughter and distribution in the province.The 100 year cake of the ANC is in the process of being distributed to orphanages, hospices and old-age homes in Mangaung, Free State Province
We have now finalized the remainder of the provincial programmes that will amongst other activities host a national day where the President will deliver a lecture on Langalibalele ‘Mafukuzela’ Dube on the 17th January 2012 in FezileDabi region (Sasolburg). The rest of the programme is as follows:
All branches of the ANC in the Free State will host memorial lectures that will be delivered by the provincial and regional leadership of the ANC.
Movement of the ANC centenary torch in the Free State.
We are excited to announce that the President of the ANC and other National Officials have handed the ANC Centenary Torch to the Provincial leadership of the Free State province under the leadership of Comrade Ace Magashule.
The ANC centenary torch will be hosted by all five regions of the Free State Province with a total of 33 towns participating in the hosting, before it is handed to the Western Cape Province by the National Officials at the end of January. The main reason of the movement of the ANC centenary torch and its route is to highlight the role played by the various communities and individuals in the struggle against colonialism and apartheid. The province has also decided to use the centenary flame to draw attention to the fight against crime and corruption throughout the province.
We have attached the route of the ANC centenary torch to the statement and as well as nation schedule of all celebrations.
