Despite Western Cape losses, ANC is 'definitely in town' says party ahead of Cape Town birthday celebrations
President Cyril Ramaphosa will join ANC supporters in Khayelitsha on Saturday to mark the party's 113th anniversary.
Delegates at the ANC's 55th national elective conference on 17 December 2022. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News
Tshidi Madia (in for Clement Manyathela) is joined by ANC NEC member Khuselo Diko.
Listen below.
It is poetic justice, says Madia welcoming Diko onto 702, that you are here in the Western Cape, the first province the ANC lost following the 1994 democratic elections.
Diko, the current Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital, joined Madia in the studio ahead of this weekend's official celebrations to mark the party’s 113th anniversary.
Today [Wednesday] marks 113 years since the African National Congress (ANC) was established and became known as Africa's first liberation movement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will face ANC supporters in Khayelitsha in Cape Town on Saturday.
"You've never been able to regain that lost confidence [in the Western Cape]," notes Madia.
It's important we come here, responds Diko.
"The Western Cape has a very rich legacy in terms of its struggle history."
- Khuselo Diko, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies
"It was here, during the apartheid struggle, that you had a wide tapestry of activists that came together from all sorts of backgrounds... This province holds a special place in the annals of the history of the ANC."
- Khuselo Diko, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies
Addressing Madia's observation that the province was the first one lost by the ANC following the 2009 provincial elections, Diko says it is a fact not overlooked by the party.
"It is important because it shows our determination that we reconnect to the people of South Africa."
- Khuselo Diko, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies
"This one is important because we need to be able to demonstrate that we've heard the cries of the people and we're committed to resolving them."
- Khuselo Diko, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies
The celebrations kicked off Wednesday morning at Robben Island and will continue throughout the week.
President Ramaphosa will deliver a speech at Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha on Saturday.
The speech is expected to reflect on the ANC's electoral challenges and outline the party's plans for the year ahead.
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Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.