Crowds trickle into Kimberley stadium ahead of Ramaphosa's January 8 statement

11 January 2020 - 10:17 By ZIMASA MATIWANE
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ANC members at the Tafel-Lager Stadium in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province where president Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the party's January 8 statement on January 11 2020.
ANC members at the Tafel-Lager Stadium in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province where president Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the party's January 8 statement on January 11 2020.
Image: Via Twitter @MbalulaFikile

Before 9am on Saturday, crowds began trickling into the Tafel Lager Park stadium in Kimberley where President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the ANC's January 8 statement later in the day.

About 25,000 ANC supporters in black, green and gold regalia are expected to fill the stadium in anticipation of Ramaphosa's address.

As the ANC marks 108 years of existence, the party indicated it would use its January 8 rally to inspire hope at a time of unemployment and inequality.

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule previously said the ANC would use the event to reassert itself as a “pro-poor party”.

“We will give South Africans hope that things will be better tomorrow and will be better than today,” he said.

This came after the national executive committee of the ANC met on Monday to draft the annual January 8 statement.

While thousands of ANC supporters are being bussed into the stadium, Batswana traditional dancers performed for the crowd and ANC songs echoed around the stadium.

Ramaphosa and several other prominent party leaders spent the week visiting various parts of the province engaging with the communities.

Party leaders spent the week ahead of the event criss-crossing communities across the Northern Cape.

The ANC also acknowledged that the Northern Cape is in a dire state ahead of the province hosting the party's 108th birthday celebration.

The province is also one of the hardest hit by drought. Government on Friday declared the province a disaster area due to the drought and a massive injection for the building of more low-cost houses is to follow.


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