Mayor bars DA from Mandela prayers

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Kornhub

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Pretoria - As the nation heeded President Jacob Zuma’s call and banded together in prayer for Nelson Mandela, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa banished the DA from the city’s prayer session on Thursday, saying the party was not “part of the effort to construct a better South Africa’’.

Ramokgopa invited the Azanian People’s Organisation, the African People’s Convention and the PAC to join the ANC, but left out the DA and the Freedom Front Plus. While Ramokgopa was more critical of the DA, he did not say much about the FF+.

He has previously criticised the DA for its opposition to a number of council initiatives, including its decision to go on the bond market, and its decision to vote against the council’s budget for the 2014/15 financial year. “They have indicated that they are not part of the effort to construct a better South Africa,” he said.

Ramokgopa said the DA had previously indicated its unwillingness to support council initiatives.

The DA chief whip in the council, Marietta Aucamp, told council Speaker Morakane Mosupye-Letsholo that they would not respond to Ramokgopa’s decision to snub the DA “at this stage”.
At Thursday night’s inter-faith prayer session for Mandela held by the ANC at the Pretoria Art Museum, Ramokgopa told the hundreds who had gathered: “We want to demonstrate our unflinching support for both president Nelson Mandela and his family during this difficult time.”

The words “Nelson Mandela, there’s no one like him” reverberated across the museum’s lawns as supporters gathered and sang pro-Mandela songs before religious leaders led them in prayer at the venue, a few blocks from the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, where Madiba remains critically ill.

Ramokgopa and ANC Gauteng deputy chairwoman Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, also a former mayor of the city, addressed the crowd.

He said people were gathered in support of Mandela to show they were grateful for the role he had played in uniting the nation.

Gwen Ramokgopa said the prayers were to ensure Mandela was pain-free and comfortable.

“He is the one that advised us that after a great hill that you have climbed you find that there is another hill to climb. So as he’s trying to climb that hill of conquering his illness he needs all of us to be with him at this moment,” she said.

The party also held prayers in various other areas, including outside Mandela’s house in Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto.

Prayers were also said in the street outside the hospital on Thursday as individuals, church groups and even those in créches bowed their heads. Among them were members of The Salvation Army.

“This is a struggle of an old man who left a mark for the country; we say to him that God loves him. Lift up your head and look up to God and don’t lose hope,” said Salvation Army leader William Langa.

On Thursday night, hundreds of ANC members also gathered outside the hospital in support of Mandela.

The scores of buses contributed to traffic in Arcadia backing up for hours after sunset.

Dimakatso Maimane, of the ANC Women’s League in Atteridgeville, said: “We are here to wish our leader a speedy recovery. He is almost in his last days and we just want to wish him all the best.”

Members were dressed in bright yellow ANC shirts and blankets, chanting: “Amandla! Awethu!”

Portia Mugwedi, of Limpopo, brought her nine-year-old son, Blessing, so he could be a part of history. “One day they will learn about this in school and he will be able to say he was there,” she said.

Aadam Karjieker, nine, arrived at 8pm from Joburg, to bring a card addressed to Madiba. “You are forever in our prayers,” it read.

Daniel Masiko travelled from Kampala in Uganda more than a week ago to show his support for Mandela. He struggled to find the hospital for days but arrived on Thursday afternoon and does not plan to go anywhere. He played recordings of Mandela’s speeches on his phone that he has saved for years to the Pretoria News.

Masiko said he would stay in South Africa and visit the hospital until Mandela was well again.

“But only God knows what will happen,” he said.

Glenda Claasen arrived with her granddaughters, Chanelle Claasen and Berenice Elias, from Dordrecht in the Eastern Cape, especially to visit the hospital. They wanted to sing “Oh how he loves you and me” for Mandela, because elders in their family were also in exile, so they understood the Struggle
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http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/mayor-bars-da-from-mandela-prayers-1.1538974#.Uc1ekZyFsfg
 
Religion and politics all in one - not really a place I'd want to spend my evening thanks.
 
People in politics can be so petty. Some politicians really don't know when to distinguish politics from humanity
 
Scumbag ANC's real agenda showing .. desperately clinging to the Mandela image, scared they're losing the only positive image they ever had in front of the world. Pathetic of them really.
 
What an idiot. The fact that people like this is in a position of power is one of the reasons why SA currently finds itself in a mess.
 
Well that's just it... when Mandela is gone then the ANC is nothing more than an empty dried shell of the former party that Nelson Mandela stood for.
Like a dried out cockroach husk.
 
evilstebunny said:
Scumbag ANC's real agenda showing .. desperately clinging to the Mandela image, scared they're losing the only positive image they ever had in front of the world. Pathetic of them really.
Click to expand...

And I bet you come next year, the election campaign will be "Know your DA: DA was not there for the prayers of Mandela, why would the be there for you? - message sponsored by the ANC"
 
This is precisely the reason why I do not care about Mandela. I do not give two flying f@cks whether he dies or not. I am not interested in paying any respects to him, I am not interested in him at all. The cANCer can keep him and stay there themselves outside the hospital. I will enjoy the cozy warmth of my house, a nice hot chocolate watching downloaded movies on my Mede8er while they are running around doing their vigils and *****.

F@ck them all!
 
Does Kgosientso Ramokgopa pronounced this as the ANC voice or may he act upon his own? This person do not understand humanity, he is unwilling to change SA.

Should I remember correctly he is also the person who never engages with white people, even those in parliament and simply ignores them. He is also the person who backed Motlanthe in regard with Presidency which nearly caused him losing his title, but will stay on until 2016, but caused some damage towards his career. I believe that he is currently in a battle with the DA surrounding the Financial Status his city is in and that it “may” be bankrupt. Should the DA be on to something, then where did all the money go…

Kgosientso is re-establishing his comrade status.
 
When the last tiny flickering flame of morality and justice left in the ANC flickers it's last and goes out, the ANC will be all alone and lost in darkness. Void of anything good or noble, sincere or just and having spat on everything Madiba stood for, the ANC will be lost in the pitch blackness they've created. At least now they can turn on each other and tear themselves apart.
 
In times of crises, people's true colours come out. They either act with grace, or the claws come out.
 
The DA should just rock up for the prayer meeting anyway.

I would love to see the headlines the next day!

"Mayor calls for security to forcefully remove DA members from prayer meeting for Mandela!"
 
A stunt like this is totally expected from an ANC politician.

People they run a primitive tribe, not a modern political party. They have a chief and his elders, and the only difference between now and 200 years ago, is that they wear suits instead of only a lappie in front of their genitals. All the rest of their conduct is pretty much exactly the same still.

I hope this catches with them.
 
The most important question the ANC should've and should be asking, but have been ignoring for a long time now; What does Nelson Mandela want?
 
IMO:- This "Mayor" is an @sshole and racist. He is a dangerous man with a ruthless streak of revenge running through his little mind.
 
House said:
This is precisely the reason why I do not care about Mandela. I do not give two flying f@cks whether he dies or not. I am not interested in paying any respects to him, I am not interested in him at all. The cANCer can keep him and stay there themselves outside the hospital. I will enjoy the cozy warmth of my house, a nice hot chocolate watching downloaded movies on my Mede8er while they are running around doing their vigils and *****.

F@ck them all!
Click to expand...

Sheesh! Idiot Mayor has nothing to do with Mandela's contribution.

In fact, illustrates precisely why Mandela (and Oliver Tambo and a lot of the old guard) were so respected - if not for him/them, these kinds of idiots would have let us descend into a Beirut type situation right from the beginning.

Damn....

Makes me really feel depressed that otherwise thinking individuals (which, contrary to appearances, most MyBB'ers are) are reduced to this kind of reaction as a result of political idiots.
 
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