By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ANC members join hands with Ramaphosa to slice a cake in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, ahead of the party’s 110th birthday celebration.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s backers have used the build-up to the ANC January 8 birthday rally to kick-start his re-election campaign.
Ramaphosa is in the province ahead of the ANC January 8 Statement address on Saturday.
The ANC members led by Sekhukhune party regional secretary Mathope Tala chanted repeatedly, “Ramaphosa for a second term”, during a cadres assembly held in Moses Mabotha Civic Centre, in Ga-Nkoana, Sekhukhune.
The chants reverberated around the fully packed venue and drowned out proceedings for a full minute before Limpopo Education MEC Polly Boshielo, who also acted as programme director for the day, got proceedings back on track.
In 2017, Sekhukhune was also one of the first districts to endorse the CR17 campaign.
Tala reiterated repeatedly that “Ramaphosa; you should again lead us” – a sentiment met by a round of applause and cheers.
The ANC has not officially opened the nominations process with the Sekhukhune region running the risk of being hauled over the coals for jumping the gun.
Ramaphosa, who was sitting at the front of the venue next to Limpopo party chairperson Stanley Mathabatha, was smiling and engaged with Mathabatha.
He said when he arrived at Sekhukhune in the morning, the regional leadership told him that following its elective conference, they had since come together and were now united without any factionalism.
“They told me that here in the region, they did not have any RET forces. I thought this was good, but they were missing something else; there should not be any CR17 faction as well because we should do away with factionalism.
Ramaphosa’s first term has been turbulent and characterised by, among other things, the Covid-19 pandemic, record unemployment, the July unrest, the burning of parliament and internal party squabbles.
He presided over the ANC’s worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid, securing just 46% of the national vote in the 2021 local government elections.