ANC NEC to hold first special meeting of 2025 in Cape Town on Monday night

CAPE TOWN - The African National Congress (ANC)'s national executive committee (NEC) will hold its first special meeting of the year in Cape Town on Monday evening. 

Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that the only item on the agenda would be the party's January 8th statement, which President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to deliver on Saturday.

It's been ten years since the party last commemorated its anniversary in the Western Cape. 

Mbalula said it was using this week of activities to reconnect with its supporters.

The ANC said that choosing a sports complex in Khayelitsha over Cape Town's more established stadiums to host this year's 113th birthday celebration was deliberate.

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While the stadium area of Mandela Park is out of bounds for not meeting safety requirements, Mbalula said that two adjacent sports fields would provide ample space for an expected crowd of 22,000. 

"Our people feel forgotten and their spirits have been dampened, that is the open truth, and we are here to say to them, your movement, the African National Congress, will never forget you." 

Mbalula said thats Monday's national executive committee meeting would be aimed at refining Ramaphosa's message of unity that he will deliver on Saturday. 

"As the ANC faces the challenge of rebuilding and renewal, we are unbroken, we are undeterred, and we are advancing forward."

The ANC's actual birthday is to be celebrated with a cake cutting ceremony on Robben Island on Wednesday.