Gwede Mantashe visits Knysna
ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe visited Knysna over the weekend to deliver a memorial lecture ahead of the national ruling party’s national conference in Mangaung in December.
The lecture was delivered to an audience of approximately 150 people at the Hornlee Civic Centre on Saturday May 26.
Mantashe spoke about Pixley kaIsaka Seme, the president general of the ANC from 1930 to 1936. The month of May honours his legacy as part of the party’s centennial celebrations, themed Workers and the Struggle for Liberation.
The lecture dealt with the importance of unity, the value of principles over personalities and the avoidance of factionalism to preserve the integrity of the organisation. “We must uphold the values of the ANC of selflessness and sacrifice, of honesty and humility, of respect and discipline,” said Mantashe.
“The ease with which we relegate each other into enemies particularly when we disagree on leadership line-up is destroying the glue that is keeping the ANC together. The divisive songs and derogatory gestures about each other communicate the lack of seriousness about our movement. Insulting anybody is not freedom of speech. It is invasion of one’s privacy and dignity. If you don’t want to vote for one of your own, you have the right to lobby others but you don’t have the licence to insult him/her,” said Mantashe.
“Democratic centralism is part of the organisational discipline. Once a higher organ has taken a decision it is binding on all lower structures. If your view is defeated in a meeting you subject yourself to the decision of the majority. If we comply with these principles and values we will see the ANC through another hundred years,” he concluded.
Mantashe also visited the Rheenendal community and met with local hero Neil Sharrocks, who was recently awarded the silver Order of Mendi by President Jacob Zuma for his unselfish act of bravery in helping to save Rheenendal Primary School learners from drowning just moments after their school bus had an accident.He also met with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy.
“We had fruitful discussions with Neil where-in he, in conjunction with families, will be patrons of the Rheenendal bus tragedy legacy project,” said Putco Mapitiza, ANC secertary for the Southern Cape. All parties reportedly agreed on the process to be followed wherein various government departments shall be drawn in to make the legacy plan a reality.
ARTICLE: CANDICE LUDICK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
Source: The Knysna-Plett Herald