African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Paul Mashatile has asked for prayers for the organization as it prepares for a difficult pre-election period ahead of the looming 2024 general polls.
Mashatile led a delegation of ANC leaders who visited different churches in Mpumalanga on Sunday morning.
He stepped in to represent party president Cyril Ramaphosa, who’s said to have had to attend to an urgent national matter.
The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) has been meeting in the province ahead of the party’s 112th birthday celebration.
Mashatile said the party needs prayers to counter its many enemies. He also told the church the ANC will never fall.
The party’s deputy president said ANC leaders are children of the church.
This speaks to the ANC’s genesis story – which can be traced to a church in the heart of Bloemfontein.
Mashatile, speaking to congregants at the Church on the Hill in Mbombela said the enemies of the ANC are many, but insisted theirs is a house built on a strong foundation and will weather the storm.
“This house, 112 years was built on a strong foundation, it will never fall.”
Reflecting on the ANC’s never-ending renewal mission, Mashatile also said now is the time for rebuilding.
The former liberation movement will mark its 112th birthday on Monday. It will also hold a series of events leading up to its January 8 rally on Saturday in Mbombela.
-EWN