The African National Congress (ANC) has struggled to explain what appeared to be a poorly attended celebration of its 114th anniversary, held at Moruleng Stadium in the North West, where only one side of the grandstand was occupied.
The party attributed both the late start of the programme and the failure to fill the 20,000-seater venue to traffic congestion. This was despite buses having been arranged from across the country to transport supporters to the event.
Throughout most of the proceedings, ANC leaders appeared to ignore the visibly low turnout, with speakers repeatedly declaring that “the ANC lives and the ANC leads,” while proceeding as though the stadium were full.
It was only when Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula took to the podium for the final address that the nearly three-hour delay was acknowledged.
“Comrades in and around this stadium, it has been reported that 20,000 people turned up for this rally,” Mbalula claimed.
He was the first and only speaker to formally address the late start. “We apologise for starting late. It was difficult to reach the stadium due to traffic jams and the fact that other comrades were hiding from the sun and were behind the stadium,” Mbalula said, referring to the thousands of empty seats.
“We had to wait for everyone to try and make their way here. The choice to come to rural North West was correct. We can’t always, comrade president, take our events to town,” he added.
Leaders of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were quick to mock the former liberation movement. EFF leader Julius Malema, a former ANC Youth League president and once mentored by Mbalula, said the apology was neither sincere nor timely.
“The programme director should have rendered the apology if it was genuinely sincere, rather than it appearing as an afterthought or a piece of spin,” Malema said.
He further criticised the explanation of traffic congestion, saying it pointed to poor planning. “A traffic jam caused by 20,000 people attending a one-day event in a village is an admission of incompetence. Proper planning should include a clear traffic control strategy. Leaving people stuck in traffic reflects a broader failure and confirms mediocrity and incompetence,” Malema said.
He also dismissed Mbalula’s comment about supporters avoiding the sun, adding: “Revolutionaries do not hide from the sun; hence the saying, ‘There is no rain in the revolution, but the revolution is in the rain.’”
Meanwhile, ANC supporter Refilwe Moeketsi expressed disappointment with the party, saying it appeared to have drifted from its founding principles. “I am very disappointed with the ANC and the president. It’s like they have forgotten why the organisation was established,” she said.