15
November 2000
The
ANC rejects the allegation by Democratic Alliance that the ANC “hijacked”
the anti-crime march in Pretoria to introduce Fr. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa as the
candidate Mayor of Tshwane.
Fr.
Smangaliso Mkhatshwa was introduced as candidate mayor of Tshwane at a rally
held in Soshanguve on 15 October 2000.
Since
then Fr. Mkhathswa has traveled tirelessly to listen to the concerns of all
sectors of the Pretoria community including pensioners, rail commuters, business
people, workers, students, intellectuals and non-governmental organizations. Fr.
Mkhatshwa has a long history of serving the people of Pretoria and has no need
to highjack any march to be introduced.
The
DA’s statement betrays a sad lack of knowledge regarding the cultural life of
the inner-city of Pretoria. Had the DA bothered to ascertain the facts before
releasing their statement they would have known that:
*
The
flag raising ceremony is held weekly on Wednesdays at 10:00;
*
Speakers
are invited by an independent company responsible for organizing the march;
*
According to the organizers of the ceremony the DA’s own candidate has
also been invited to take the salute.
The
fact of the matter is that Fr. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa was invited a week ago by
Ms. Lame Ebersohn of the Orangerie Coalition Champions Pty Ltd to take the
salute at the flag raising ceremony. She has been responsible for arranging this
event for the past two years.
Issued
by:
Contact:
Andries Nel: 082-576-6672