PAC, ANC ‘to work together in future’
Moloto waters down Mthethwa’s unity talk
A plan is being hatched for the ANC and PAC to work together after next year’s general elections.
But, the merger of the two liberation movements would see the slow dying PAC, being swallowed by the ANC.
The PAC broke away from the ANC in 1959 and, a year later, spearheaded demonstrations that resulted in the Sharpeville Massacre, when police shot and killed 69 people and injured many others who were protesting against the pass laws in Sharpeville, on the Vaal, on March 21 1960.
Yesterday, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said during the Human Rights Day commemoration in the township that there was no reason the ANC as the governing party should not unite with PAC ... or any other organisation for that matter.
“We should, as the beneficiaries of our democracy, take on the Struggle of our forebears to unite,” Mthethwa said.
“Our freedom can be summed up both from the PAC and ANC’s own colours – black, green and gold. They are not just colours.”
PAC president Narius Moloto told Sowetan on the sidelines of the commemoration that the party would work with the ANC on specific programmes that will uplift the lives of the people.
“We are both liberation movements and we were in the bush together. We suffered and we have cadres who are suffering,” Moloto said.
Deputy President David Mabuza gave the commemorative event at the George Thabe Cricket Pitch the keynote address as acting president of the country.
Mabuza used the 58th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre to make promises to the community. He said his office was adopting Sharpeville as one of its priority projects.
“My office and the premier’s office will coordinate efforts to deepen service delivery, alleviate poverty and eliminate poverty. This work begins now. We will begin by simple actions of cleaning the graveyards of where our heroes and the people are buried,” he said.
Also in attendance was Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize.