Zuma to tell of poll plans

Major announcement on January 8

THE continent’s oldest liberation movement, the ANC, celebrates 102 years of existence next week.

Next Saturday, party president Jacob Zuma is due to deliver the ANC’s traditional annual January 8 Statement in which he is expected to outline achievements and programmes for the coming year.

The party celebrates its anniversary on January 8.

Zuma will deliver the main address at a rally at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, during which he is expected to reflect on preparations and programmes in the build-up to this year’s general elections.

Zuma has yet to declare a date for the fifth democratic general elections, expected to take place during the first half of this year.

The Eastern Cape provincial January 8 Statement event is expected to be held in Dutywa in the Mbhashe Municipality area two weeks after the national event.

Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said yesterday preparations for the January 25 event were at an advanced stage.

He said the province would ferry members to the national event in 12 buses.

Mabuyane said Mbhashe had been chosen to host the provincial event because the ANC wants to “camp” in the area in preparation for January 29 by-elections.

This follows the recall of 12 ANC ward councillors, who were part of a group of 16 members expelled for misconduct early last year.

Four of the 16 expelled members were proportional representative councillors, who have since been replaced.

Regarding Zuma’s January 8 Statement, Mabuyane said he expected the president to reflect on the party’s achievements since the advent of democracy in 1994.

That would include what had been done on “the realisation of policies in the Freedom Charter and what we need to do moving forward, especially in this crucial year where we also have national general elections scheduled”.

Mabuyane added: “To us [the ANC] the January 8 Statement is like the state of the nation address.

“It gives us direction on what needs to be done.”

Since 1972, the ANC has issued a statement outlining its programme for the year each January 8, the date on which it was founded in 1912 in Bloemfontein.