President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the ANC’s January 8 statement to a half-empty stadium in Rustenburg yesterday, as logistical challenges once again hampered the party’s flagship event. Thousands of supporters failed to reach Moruleng Stadium outside Rustenburg after being caught in long traffic queues for hours. The blistering heat compounded the situation, with many of those who made it into the venue abandoning the open stands in search of shade.
As Ramaphosa took to the podium, scores of empty chairs were visible, with ANC members moving towards the single covered grandstand. Cellphone reception in and around the stadium was poor, despite state security minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni telling the Sunday Times ahead of the event that coverage had been boosted. The Sunday Times understands that Vodacom had set up mobile towers inside the stadium.
Ntshavheni said the ANC always wanted to connect with its supporters, but acknowledged that hosting events in certain areas presented challenges. She said the road leading to the stadium was a single lane and could not cope with the large number of vehicles descending on the area. “The decision of the NEC to host the January 8 birthday celebrations within communities, while critical for the ANC, comes with its own challenges linked to infrastructure development,” said Ntshavheni.
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“In such situations, the ANC preparatory committee does its best to address infrastructure-related matters that can have a quick fix. For example, the telecommunication performance was boosted across networks, as such there is minimal network congestion.” Ntshavheni said many people were stuck in traffic for hours, including journalists, despite efforts by law enforcement. “Similarly, even when security did their best to process people to access the stadium precinct, given the heat levels people chose to listen from the shade — under trees and beneath the stands — [rather] than sitting under direct sun in uncovered stands.“ For this reason the covered grandstand had remained full.
The experience highlighted lessons for government at both provincial and national level. If Moruleng Stadium is to be self-sustaining, it must host major events. In light of this, the government must start planning for a road expansion as we market the stadium as a venue for [such] events.
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