Majodina accused of tribalism after row over ANC stalwart
A KZN-BASED activist who was stopped from putting up an exhibition last weekend at the ANC’s 106th birthday party in East London has accused MEC Pemmy Majodina of tribalism.
Majodina, who chaired the local organising committee (LOC) for the ANC celebrations, says the accusations are pure lies.
Majodina allegedly blocked Zwakele Msane from putting up a display about Saul Msane, who was ANC secretary-general between 1917 and 1919, last weekend.
He said Majodina had told him the theme for this year’s January 8 Statement was “Xhosa liberation heritage”.
“I was surprised when MEC Majodina said that to me.
“The ANC is not a tribalistic movement and is meant to stop tribal barriers.
“[Msane senior] studied in Healdtown in the Eastern Cape and his political activism started here,” Msane said.
He said he had written to the office of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule asking to be allowed to exhibit but had received no response. He showed the Daily Dispatch a copy of the letter.
Msane said he thought he was attending a national event of the ANC and not a “Xhosa tribal heritage event”.
Msane complained that former ANC leaders’ graves were visited in KZN and the Eastern Cape, yet the elderly Msane’s grave was not visited.
Msane said he wanted to have his exhibition, “the Saul Msane Legacy Recognition Material” next to the main stage at the Buffalo City Stadium.
Majodina said it was decided during an LOC meeting that only the exhibitions of late statesman Nelson Mandela, former ANC president OR Tambo, late former Eastern Cape premier Raymond Mhlaba and late Black Consciousness Movement leader Steve Biko would be allowed.
“The agreement was that exhibitions would only be allowed at the Gala Dinner at the ICC on the Friday before the rally,” Majodina said.
She said the exhibitions would be based on the Nelson Mandela exhibition and the Home of Legends leaders. The party is celebrating Mandela this year while it celebrated Tambo last year.
“This has nothing to do with Xhosas. This man came to us on Friday evening while we were doing a dry run at the stadium and asked to exhibit. This was a national event and we could not approve an exhibition at the stadium at night. Furthermore, there was no space for exhibitions at the rally. We did not plan for that,” Majodina said.
According to SA History Online,
Msane was secretary-general of the ANC’s precursor, the South African Native National Congress, from 1917 to 1919. He studied in Alice at Healdtown and was the founder of the Natal Native Congress in 1901. In 1910 and 1911, Msane was a co editor of Umlomo wa Bantu.
The junior Msane said they were trying to have Msane recognised as a leader in his own right.