The African National Congress is aware of the intended march by the Democratic Alliance to the ANC Headquarters, Chief Albert Luthuli House, on the 4th February 2014. While we respect and will always advance and defend the right of anyone to assemble and protest, rights must be exercised with responsibility.
The ANC believes that this planned march to its headquarters is unnecessary and an exercise in adventurism. We further we view it as a provocative and attention-seeking stunt not designed to address the issues it purports.
The African National Congress prides itself on being a beacon of democratic principles, which include transparency and openness. Our democratic order has also created a platform to engage in a manner that is not an anarchic and these include amongst them Parliament, NEDLAC, Government and the Courts. Policies of the ANC are deliberated at length within the organization and enhanced by input from stakeholders in society.
The DA has different policies to the African National Congress, hence they are an opposition. Marching to the ANC on policy positions is disingenuous at best and a display of arrogance that seek to force on to the ANC their policies to govern; such battle must and should be worn in the hearts and minds of our people at the ballot. The African National Congress will respect the institutions created for discourse amongst parties and will raise our serious concerns with this continuing provocative behaviour by the DA in Parliament.
In the meantime, the African National Congress cautions the DA against "taking the fight to Luthuli House"; members and supporters of the ANC will view this as an arrogant attack on our movement and a disrespect of the democratic order which seeks to establish and maintain political stability and tolerance in our country; more disturbing is that this extremely provocative behaviour few months before our general elections which we, as the African National Congress, are committed to it being free, fair and peaceful.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, January 23 2014
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