Johannesburg - Just hours away from the ANC's January 8 Statement in celebration of the party's 111th anniversary set for Mangaung this Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed a Women's Manyano event at the Central University of Technology in the Free State.
On Wednesday, Ramaphosa criss-crossed Mangaung with a heavy schedule that saw him take part in many build-up events.
The Women’s Manyano was one of those events, one of the many build-up events that Ramaphosa has taken part in ahead of the ANC's big bash at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium.
Ramaphosa also took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the graves of former ANC president Z R Mahabane and president Dr James Sebe Moroka.
The president was joined by members of the ANC Women’s League, together with faith-based organisations who had taken to the streets of Mangaung to celebrate the role of women in the struggle against apartheid and to continue the battle against gender-based violence and femicide(GBVF), gender disparity, poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
Ramaphosa encouraged women to take an active part in the activities of the ruling party, while also urging them to help revive the party as it charts a new path of renewal.
"I thank you very much, and it just shows that when women decide to work together, they achieve unbelievable results. I can see that all of you who are here, you are continuing to build a wonderful organisation of women, and you are doing other wonderful things," he said.
Ramaphosa added that delegates to the recent 55th National Conference achieved a lot during the elective conference.
"I want to thank the leadership of the ANC and those we sent to the conference. They did two wonderful things when they elected the officials. First, the women were clear that we must have at least three or four officials in the top leadership of the ANC, and you have delivered on that," he said.
This comes after the recent elective conference in Nasrec saw the election of three women to the ANC’s top seven structure, with Nomvula Mokonyane as first secretary, Maropele Ramakgopa taking the second deputy secretary-secretary position, and ANC veteran Gwen Ramokgopa emerging as treasurer-general.
"The first secretary general of the ANC is a woman. The second secretary general is a woman, and the treasurer general of the ANC is a woman. That is the first time in the history of the ANC that this has happened," he said.
The Star