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ANC members visited Oliver Tambo’s tombstone at Wattville East as part of honuring the leader.
African National Congress (ANC) Deputy President Paul Mashatile says ensuring the unity of the party and working for the people would be a fitting tribute to the party’s longest-serving President, Oliver Tambo, on his 108th birthday.
He was speaking to the media after delivering the Oliver Tambo Memorial Lecture at Wattville, east of Johannesburg, on Monday night.
Born on 27 October 1917, Tambo died in 1993 after suffering from a stroke.
With the ANC having faced a serious electoral decline over the years, Mashatile says that after all these setbacks, they are now going back to Tambo’s teachings by renewing the ANC and making it work for the people.
“We accept that we have gone through challenges, and in some areas, we have problems that have weakened the ANC. But the decision to renew and rebuild the ANC is to do exactly that, to go back to the teachings of Oliver Tambo that this is the ANC of the people, let us prioritise people, and that is the only way we can make it stronger going forward.”
Today, the ANC commemorates the life and legacy of Comrade President Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe Oliver Reginald Tambo at the O.R. Tambo Memorial Lecture under the theme: “Reaffirming the Moral Compass of Our Struggle: Unity, Integrity, and Renewal.” The movement honours this… pic.twitter.com/0KjB0NBpvU
— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) October 27, 2025
[IN PICTURES] We continue to celebrate the life and legacy of Comrade President OR Tambo at the wreath-laying ceremony at Tamboville Cemetery in Wattville, Benoni, Gauteng. pic.twitter.com/oKILpAgiyY
— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) October 27, 2025
Mashatile has conceded that they have not done enough to improve the lives of South Africans. He says they have failed to live up to Tambo’s aspirations of selflessly working for the people.
“Allow me to take this time to reflect on what the tasks of the ANC, and the ANC in government should be at this current period, specifically as we approach the Local Government Elections in the year 2026. The point of departure is that, as the African National Congress, we have not done enough to improve the lives of South Africans. We must take accountability for this, but most importantly, we must also strategise on how we can turn things around for the better.”
VIDEO| Mashatile says the ANC leadership needs to rededicate itself to Tambo’s teachings:
