President Cyril Ramaphosa will join Zion Christian Church (ZCC) pilgrims for the Easter Sunday church service at the St Engenas.
Millions of ZCC pilgrims will descend on Moria outside Polokwane in Limpopo at the weekend for the annual Easter pilgrimage. St Engenas is one of the two ZCC churches.
The ANC in Limpopo said the president is expected to be accompanied by national executive committee members Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and David Mahlobo, as well as members of the provincial executive committee (PEC).
“The ANC Limpopo PEC noted and welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to St Engenas Zion Christian Church on Sunday, April 9 2023 for the Easter Sunday service,” said provincial secretary Reuben Madadze.
“The ANC in Limpopo appreciates that in the upcoming long weekend, the people of South Africa and Limpopo will be traveling to different places, including places of worship, social and cultural gatherings.
“We urge all the people of Limpopo and those who will be traveling to Limpopo to drive safely and prevent any form of road carnage by respecting the rules of the road.”
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the Presidency, confirmed Ramaphosa’s visit to Moria. He said he will visit St Engenas in his capacity as ANC leader, not as the president of the country.
Ramaphosa’s visit to the province comes against the backdrop of tensions involving provincial ANC chairperson Stanley Mathabatha, who emerged from the woodwork and attended his first public gathering in weeks.
Sunday World reported a fortnight ago that some senior ANC leaders want Mathabatha removed, citing service delivery issues and his alleged loss of support in ANC structures.
In a statement on Wednesday, Madadze denied that there is a high-level plan to remove Mathabatha as premier of Limpopo.
“At no stage did the PEC discuss the removal of the premier,” said Madadze.
Two weeks ago, the ANC national working committee (NWC) was expected to oversee regional general councils in the province followed by a face-to-face meeting with Mathabatha and his PEC.
The meeting was later cancelled because it clashed with another meeting.
Some ANC members in Limpopo had expected the NWC meeting with the PEC to mark the beginning of the end of Mathabatha’s tenure as premier following his fallout with Ramaphosa over his support for Zweli Mkhize’s failed bid for the governing party’s presidency at the Nasrec conference in December.
Mathabatha’s U-turn, which was rejected by a number of regions in the province, created internal tensions among the ANC’s top five in Limpopo and regional leaders.
Since then, the ANC chairperson has encountered opposition from his own party members.
In February, a rowdy crowd booed him during the belated celebrations of both the 111th ANC birthday and the January 8 Statement at Ga-Masemola Stadium in Sekhukhune, resulting in him not addressing public meetings for weeks.
On Friday last week, Mathabatha braved the cold weather and showed up at the provincial prayer event against gender-based violence and femicide at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Moving forward, the PEC has called on ANC branches to unite and strengthen the party in the province. Madadze said the PEC further resolved to embark on a campaign to visit traditional leaders in the province.
The resolution comes a month after EFF leader Julius Malema hosted his birthday celebration party at the home of Bapedi Queen Manyaku “Hlapogadi A Phaahla” Thulare at Mohlaletse in Sekhukhune.
“The ANC Limpopo PEC recognises the important role of traditional leaders in the struggles, as well as the role traditional leaders continue to play in advancing the developmental and transformation agenda in the South African body politic,” said Madadze.
“It resolved that PEC officials should undertake visits to kings and queens in Limpopo as part of renewing and reconnecting with our traditional leaders.
“The PEC further directed all regional leaderships to visit traditional leaderships in their respective regions.”
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