'A celebration of heartless thugs': Jackson Mthembu slammed over #ANC108 pictures

The ANC has been criticised for “flaunting opulence” while the masses continue to suffer.

A Twitter post by Jackson Mthembu, minister in the presidency, during the #ANC108 anniversary celebration has attracted disapproval from users.

The party's leadership commemorated the ANC's birthday in Kimberley, where President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the grave of the party's first secretary-general, Sol Plaatje.

Unathi Kwaza said: “Have u not eaten enough, Jackson and your comrades, while 55% of the population live in squalor?”

According to Stats SA’s 2018 service delivery data from municipalities, the country has about 3.6-million indigent households.

A user by the name of chaka_unity shamed the minister for posting the picture.

“Free State has a man-made water crisis, SA is facing self-induced load-shedding, criminals don't fear the law, unemployment is on the rise but naaaah we are the government and not affected by this problem, let's have a cake instead. Shame on you @MYANC”

Locals in QwaQwa took to the streets a week ago after battling a water shortage and dirty water problem for years. Violent protests ensued when a child died at a river while fetching water.

The Sowetan newspaper reported that the local authority, the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality, was placed under administration in 2018 by the national government.

In 2019 it was unable to collect refuse. The municipality also owed Eskom R4bn for unpaid electricity and the Sedibeng Water Board, about R300m.

A user who identifies as Alicelmy said it would have been a birthday to celebrate if the money used for the cake and wine had rather been used at one school to eliminate pit latrines.

A lot of people who said under the post had questions around how much taxpayer money was used for the annual anniversary bash.