EMALAHLENI- The ANC in the Nkangala region has vehemently dismissed claims that they turned the Presidential Imbizo held in Emalahleni on May 07 at Sy Mthimunye Stadium into one of their campaign trails.
This follows complaints from members of the uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party who alleged they were not permitted to speak at the event where President Cyril Ramaphosa listened to service delivery challenges and concerns from community members in Nkangala and the province. They further accused the ANC of exploiting the event, which predominantly saw attendees dressed in ANC regalia, to garner votes ahead of the national and provincial elections scheduled for 29 May this year.
Mias Fenyane, MK Emalahleni convenor, expressed their discontent to Highveld Chronicle, stating, ” We are really being sidelined. This looks like an ANC event. Everyone from the ANC is here in their attire. We arrived as members of the community, yet we were sidelined simply because we belong to the MK party.”
“It’s unjust to label this as a community event while it’s evidently a campaign rally for the ANC. We ought to escalate this matter to the IEC as the ANC is exploiting government resources for their campaign,” he added.
ActionSA also echoed similar sentiments. “We perceive the President’s visit to eMalahleni Municipality as a tactic to campaign for the ANC utilizing taxpayers’ funds,” remarked ActionSA Mpumalanga leader Thokozile Mashiane.
“The 2021 local government elections showed a significant decline in ANC support within the municipality [Emalahleni], with the ANC securing 35 seats and opposition parties combining for 33 seats. This outcome highlights the diminishing power of the ANC in both the municipality and the province.”
In response, ANC Nkangala secretary Sello Matshoga refuted the allegations as baseless, asserting that members of other parties were also present in their regalia and were given an opportunity to address the Imbizo.
” Members of the EFF, ActionSA and MK were present at the Imbizo wearing their parties’ regalia, no body complained about it,” Matshoga stated. “Moreover, these parties had their posters displayed outside the stadium, whereas the ANC had none, yet we did not raise any objections.”
Matshoga emphasized that community members, regardless of their political affiliation, were afforded the chance to speak. ” Just because MK came with intention to disrupt to the event, which did not succeed, and now they are resorting to baseless accusations that the ANC was campaigning and they were denied a platform to speak. This is pathetic and stooping low, to say the least,” he concluded.
