Free State bids farewell to centenary torch
Remembering the struggle … Family members of the late Thomas Maphikela receive the flame which symbolises sacrifice.
The Free State bid farewell to the ANC centenary torch this week.
The torch was handed over to the Western Cape on Tuesday. It will host the symbol of the sacrifices made during the struggle for the month of February.
ANC president Jacob Zuma and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu lit the torch at the Wesleyan Church in Waaihoek, Bloemfontein at midnight on January 8. The church was the party’s founding place.
The torch criss-crossed the five districts of Free State and was hosted by 33 towns during January. According to the ANC, the movement of the centenary torch and its route serves to highlight the role played by various communities and individuals in the province during the struggle.
The province also used the centenary torch to highlight the fight against crime and corruption. Community members ecstatically received the torch, where its arrival coincided with a series of mini-rallies that were organised to emphasise the need for unity within the ANC.
The torch returned to Waaihoek last Friday where provincial ANC chairperson and premier Ace Magashule addressed the event.
In his address, Magashule called for discipline in the organisation. Taking direct aim at those who have been calling for ANC leadership change in the province, he said the only time there was going to be change was at the elective conference.
“There will be no regime change. The only time you will be able to do that is at the elective conference. There will be no regime change at rallies where leaders are undermined.”
Magashule urged the provincial ANC membership to respect the current democratically elected leadership.
One of the highlights of the torch’s visit to Bloemfontein was its stop at Maphikela House in Batho where family members of the late struggle hero received it.
Thomas Mtobi Maphikela was born in the Cape and came to Bloemfontein in 1892. He worked as a carpenter and building contractor. He carved his name into the history of the area by playing an important role in the social-political activities of the township. Maphikela was one of the founding fathers of the ANC and speaker of the organisation for more than 25 years. The torch will return to the Free State for the Mangaung 2012 elective conference in December.
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