Video of ANC officials asked to leave home goes viral
Cape Town - The ANCs efforts to rally the community ahead of its 113th birthday celebrations in the Western Cape, are not off to a great start.
Apart from an apparent rift among the party’s senior members, a video clip showing a man demanding ANC officials leave his house, has gone viral.
In the clip, captured by Newzroom Afrika, ANC officials are seen speaking to a family in the living room or lounge area. In the background, a man can be heard shouting for the people to leave. Moments later, the man, carrying a young child, comes into the camera’s view and shouts louder.
“Leave! Leave Leave! You cannot push me in my mother’s house. You must leave! All of you!” the man shouts as men who appear to be bodyguards, grab the man. He then shouts at them, telling them they cannot tell him to leave.
He is eventually ushered out of the lounge but continues to demand that the ANC officials leave his mother’s house. The ANC is set to celebrate its birthday at the Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Saturday.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has since apologised to the family for how his security detailed handled the matter. It is understood that Mashatile had been in the family’s home at the time. Mashatile apologised to the man and his mother.
ANC LEAVE NOW!!!. MABAHAMBE!!!
— Ota Benga (@MmuiWabatho) January 7, 2025
ANC refuses to leave a man's home despite him making his wishes clear. The party had him wrestled out of his house. This happened in Khayelitsha, Western Cape Province as ANC campaigns for its January 8 Statement event. pic.twitter.com/BdvkrXptNC
Meanwhile, Social Development Minister, Sisisi Tolashe, has defended the hosting of an outreach programme by her department and the SA Social Services Agency (Sassa) in Mfuleni on Tuesday.
“We are not here to campaign. We are here to make sure that you receive the services at the right time. We do so dictated by the Constitution,” Tolashe said.
She made the statement when addressing scores of people who were gathered inside a hall at Nyameko Primary School while hundreds lined up outside the school premises to be attended to by officials.
The department and its entities, Sassa and the National Development Agency, have organised a week-long outreach programme that will run until January 14.
They plan to review the impact of poverty eradication initiatives and programmes in Khayelitsha and conduct an oversight visit to two funded organisations in Nyanga today and Friday.
Speaking to Independent Media, Tolashe insisted that there were no elections and as such they were not campaigning in any way.
“We are coming here to talk and listen to the people. We brought officials so that they can take-up issues with those in authority in order to bring services,” she said.
Tolashe said the outreach programme was her national programme and that she has already been to Piet- ermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
“This year I will be in all the provinces to ensure that services are brought to people, especially, the Department of Social Development and Sassa. Their services are needed most and those qualifying should get them.”