ANC all out to woo support for its 106th

Ruling party keen to avoid mass stayaway of 2016

The ANC is pulling out all the stops in Eastern Cape ahead of the party’s 106th anniversary celebrations and January 8 statement in East London to avoid the poor attendance during its election manifesto launch at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in 2016.

ANC officials were left red faced ahead of the 2016 local government elections when party supporters shunned the event, forcing President Jacob Zuma to address empty chairs in the estimated 40 000 capacity venue.

This weekend the party will look to East London for a massive show of force, with newly elected president Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled as the face of the party.

Party supporters have been using social media and multimedia platforms to woo the party faithful to the event on Saturday.

The ANC has dispatched its top guns to mobilise the party’s supporters to come to the rally.

Ramaphosa will deliver his first January 8 statement, which is, as per tradition, expected to outline the party’s plans for the year and give an indication of the content of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) next month.

If Zuma survives rumoured attempts to remove him from Union Buildings he will have to toe the line pointed out by Ramaphosa in his Sona speech.

Yesterday, ANC leaders addressed 40 churches as part of the mobilisation campaign ahead of the East London rally.

ANC national officials, including Ramaphosa, will address supporters at a cake cutting ceremony in East London today.

ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi told Sowetan yesterday more than 100 000 people from all walks of life were expected to descend on East London for Ramaphosa’s first address as ANC leader.

“Many people are looking forward to the rally. Their interests have been reignited by the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president. Cyril Ramaphosa’s election has reconnected the ANC with ordinary people,” Ngcukaitobi said.

Ngcukaitobi said buses and taxis would ferry people from all provinces.

ANC Limpopo secretary Nocks Seabi said the province would send 10 buses to the rally.

SACP Eastern Cape secretary Xolile Nqatha said there was a groundswell of support for the ANC following the election of Ramaphosa as ANC leader.

“There is hope among residents here that with this kind of confidence the ANC is likely to reclaim its place as the leader of society,” Nqatha said.

Without directly blaming Zuma for the challenges facing the ANC, Nqatha said the party had increasingly been losing its place over the past few years.