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The ANC National Working Committee
and the entire National Executive Committee is back here in the Western Cape
to take forward the decision that the ANC made last year to ensure that we
work together and closely with the Provincial Task Team (PTT) and that we
pay more attention in addressing the cohesion and unity of the ANC in the
province and to be further appraised on progress in the implementation of
the programme that has been developed to build the ANC and to ensure its
cohesiveness in the province. We view this visits as an important political
work and our commitment to the people of the Western Cape.

We have taken
a decision to rebuild our structures in the Western Cape and to ensure that
the ANC exist in each and ever corner in this province. This includes the
relaunching of ANC structures and branches were they did not exist before.
Based on our meeting with our structures this passed weekend, we have
developed a programme of action that involves members of the ANC National
Executive Committee in building structures of the ANC in the Western Cape.
The programme will be implemented and monitored in the Office of the ANC
Secretary General. The programme includes amongst others, interactions with
cadres of our movement through assemblies of cadres and constant interaction
with our membership and the community through a variety of activities
including door-to-door campaigns.

We are also in he province of the
Western Cape to celebrate the twenty years anniversary of the release our
leader and former President, Cde Nelson Mandela. This anniversary marks an
important development in the calender of our country. We are here to
re-leave what is characterized as the beginning of our democracy and the end
of our long walk to freedom. We would like to reiterate that the
unbanning of all political parties, the release of Nelson Mandela, the
return of all exiles and the subsequent negotiations that led to the
democratic elections in 1994, came as a result of our people - struggles in
our communities, schools, our churches and in our factory floors - who made
apartheid ungovernable.

The contribution of the international community to
our freedom by isolating the South African apartheid regime cannot be over
emphasised. We owe this isolation of apartheid South Africa by the
international community in the main to the mobilisation that was undertaken
by our leader and then President of the ANC, OR Tambo.

Amongst the
activities to take place in commemorating the release of Madiba twenty year
ago, is the breakfast with ANC leaders. The breakfast will take place at the
Drakenstein Correctional Centre (former Victor Verster Prison), on Thursday,
the 11th February 2010 at 07h00 - 08h30, followed by a symbolic march by
leaders of the ANC and the Alliance. This march will represent Madiba coming
out of prison twenty year ago. The ANC President, Cde Jacob Zuma will then
address a Mini Rally on the significance of the release of Madiba at the
Drakenstein Correctional Centre from 12h30.

The commemoration of Madiba's
release will culminate in the State of the National Address by the President
of the Republic, the honourable Jacob Zuma, at the evening, on the day of
the eleventh of February in Parliament.

We are happy to announce that Cde
Madiba together with other former political prisoners will also attend the
State of the Nation Address. After the State of the National Address, the
President of the Republic will host a symbolic dinner which will include
former political prisoners and fellow South Africans who will have attended
the State of the National Address.

The dinner will be the last activity in
commemorating the release of Madiba twenty years ago.

On this important day
of the release of Madiba, we call upon all South Africans where ever they
will be to join us as we commemorate our freedom and the achievement of our
democracy that many of our people lived and died for.

What ever all of us
do in the democratic space that we all enjoy now, we must keep it in our
minds that there were sacrifices that ushered our democracy. There are those
who died for us to enjoy the democracy we now have, there are those who had
to flee to exile for us to be free and there are those who had to endure
prison life for us to be free, there are those who were maimed for us to be
free. Our freedom and democracy did not come cheap.

 

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