As ANC bikers revved things up ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 address at the Moruleng Stadium on Saturday, there was a visible shortage of supporters on the stands. Scores of empty seats at the ANC’s 114th celebrations in Moruleng Stadium on Saturday have served to underscore a glimpse into the ANC’s fading legacy as a leading political party. On Saturday, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his January 8 Statement, celebrating the party’s 114th anniversary, anchored on the need for the party to strengthen its efforts in managing local government, beset by service delivery challenges and incidents of corruption.
On Saturday, media reports suggested that the Department of State Security Agency (SSA) allegedly restricted access to vehicles carrying food parcels and supporters’ buses, leading to logistical difficulties. President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his latest January 8 address at the Moruleng Stadium on Saturday. However, contrasting with Ramaphosa’s declaration of the party as the leader of society, were visible empty seats that were seen at the 20,000 capacity stadium, despite ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, describing the turnout as good enough.
“Thank you to the people of Moruleng for coming out in their numbers to hear President Cyril Ramaphosa declare this year as the year of decisive action.Comrades, in and outside this stadium, it has been reported that 20,000 people turned up for this rally,” Mbalula declared on Saturday. Thank you to the people of Moruleng for coming out in their numbers to hear President Cyril Ramaphosa declare this year as the year of decisive action. Reacting to ANC’s dynasty, political analyst Thobani Zikalala noted thatthe 20,000- seater stadium used for the event was not full, contrasting it with the ANC’s historical ability to fill much larger venues, like the FNB Stadium.
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the 20,000- seater stadium used for the event was not full, contrasting it with the ANC’s historical ability to fill much larger venues, like the FNB Stadium. “Of course, in the main, the stadium was visibly empty, or rather not full, on Saturday, as we have grown to know the ANC and its capacity to fill up stadiums, whether small or big. Over the years, the ANC has become known as a political force with a footprint in all of society which draws crowds to its events,” he said.
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