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Johannesburg - The African National Congress has commended both the organisers of the #OccupyLuthuliHouse campaign and those who went to the party’s headquarters to defend it.
"Today was a victory for the age old traditions of the contest of ideas in the ANC," ANC head of communications Khusela Sangoni told journalists outside of the party’s headquarters on Monday afternoon.
This after a tense stand-off between factions attempting to occupy the building and those gathered to defend Luthuli House.
"The SG (secretary general Gwede Mantashe) commended both the occupy Luthuli House and defend Luthuli House groups for ensuring that they showed maximum discipline and restraint in the face of provocation today," she said.
Sangoni said the group’s demands would be taken into consideration, along with many other views from branches across the country.
The NEC has been visiting different regions since the party’s poor showing in the local government elections, seeking answers for its dismal performance. The ANC experienced a decline in numbers and lost three metros in the polls.
Hundreds - mostly members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association, the ANC Youth League, Congress of South African Students and the Women’s League - descended upon the city centre in defence of the ANC.
Several scuffles broke out throughout the day, with members of MKMVA often refusing to take instruction from ANC leaders regarding violence.
No disciplinary action
Sangoni said that there had been no decision yet about whether the #OcuppyLuthuliHouse protesters would be disciplined by the ANC.
"There is no decision as such at this point in time. Remember the constitution of the ANC states that any disciplinary action that takes place should happen at the level of which the transgression has taken place," he said.
Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League has called for the memorandum to be returned to branches.
"It must be taken back to branches where it belongs," said treasurer general Reggie Nkabinde. "It must not be entertained."
He also slammed former ANCYL deputy president Ronald Lamola, who he said should have taken the memorandum of demands to his branch, then to regional offices, and eventually provincial offices.
Nkabinde said the Occupy Luthuli House group also had no right to talk about fees as there was a committee already set up by the president to free up money for the tuition fees in 2017.
