WATCH | Hill-Lewis, ANC squabble over Khayelitsha venue

Khayelitsha

Cape Town — The African National Congress (ANC) has responded to the claims made by Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who said the party never intended to host its 113th anniversary celebrations in Khayelitsha.

Hill-Lewis revealed on social media that the ANC never wanted to host its celebrations at Mandela Park in Khayelitsha, instead it had contacted him to try and book either Cape Town Stadium or Athlone Stadium, but both stadiums had events taking place already,

“For the record, the ANC did not book the Khayelitsha stadium “out of concern” for residents. They’re lying. They booked it because they were too incompetent to book any other venue in time. They only tried to book Cape Town Stadium in mid-November 2024! It was already booked for a Stormers game. Then they tried Athlone Stadium. It was also booked, for the Klopse Carnival,” said the mayor.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Hill-Lewis explained why he made the social media post and criticised the party for a lack of integrity.

“I heard all these ANC leaders going out and saying that the reason they chose Khayelitsha as the venue for their January 8 Party was out of concern for the residents of Khayelitsha but the fact is that is a blatant lie. I just don’t like it when the ANC continues to demonstrate a lack of basic integrity. They had no intention of ever going there,” Hill-Lewis revealed.

He said the party tried to get the DA to cancel the bookings at Cape Town Stadium, which is the Stormers vs Sharks game, and said the party accused them of sabotage. He revealed that the party’s second choice, Ahtlone Stadium, was also booked.

“It is a fact, that they did not want to go there, they wanted Cape Town Stadium, when that was not available, they then tried to book the Athlone Stadium as a second option. That is also booked this weekend for the Kaapse Klopse. This is a very busy events time in Cape Town, this is our busiest season. Events venues are booked up literally six to eight months and sometimes even a year in advance. To come in November and try to book a venue is extremely late notice,” Hill-Lewis said.

In response to Hill-Lewis’ claims, the ANC’s Mzwandile Masina told Newzroom Afrika in an interview that he was shocked the mayor was involved in booking venues. and

“I am shocked as a former executive mayor that a mayor is now responsible for booking the halls and stadiums. It is quite ridiculous on his part, and I am not sure what cheap political point he is trying to score here. He is not responsible for the ANC decision-making in terms of where we go and why we go there,” said Masina.

He said it was an ANC decision to host the celebrations in Khayelitsha.

“I can confirm that it was an ANC decision, that having suffered the strategic setback of losing elections, we need to find a different mechanism to reconnect with our people. So, because in the main, our people you find them in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Gugulethu, Philippi and townships like those. A decision was made by the leadership that we need to take this event where the communities are and we need to stop this thing that we do from time to time, we said we are not going to be bussing any member of the ANC coming from other provinces, given the fact that we have had some unfortunate incidents of accidents,” said the former mayor of Ekurhuleni.

He said the party has gone around to different stadiums in the country to host its events and he reiterated the ANC’s call to go to Khayelitsha. He also said Hill-Lewis must say who from the ANC had asked him to book Cape Town Stadium or Athlone Stadium.

“Ask the mayor to give you the name of the national official or person who called him because he seems now to be an administrator of the halls and stadiums. From the ANC in Luthuli House, ask him in November and December as he says, he will not give you a name because there is no such person who ever called him. This is a national event, it is not a provincial event. If he has got fans in the province or in the region that talk to him for this reason or the other, it is not the African National Congress at Luthuli House.” Masina said.

“We have enquired before we came to this interview from Luthuli House, and we have no record of any person who was officially sent by the ANC to book the stadium, either Cape Town or Athlone. That is why I am saying, maybe the mayor can assist us to tell us that Mr so and so from Luthuli House called me and they could not succeed for these reasons,” said Masina.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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