The Steering Committee of the 40th anniversary of the United Democratic Front (UDF) says President Cyril Ramaphosa will be among the keynote speakers at its celebrations in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Formed in 1983 at the height of the apartheid government’s power, the UDF was disbanded in 1991, shortly after the unbanning of the African National Congress, South African Communist Party, and the Pan Africanist Congress among others.
One of its founding members Murphy Morobe says they are planning to use their 40th celebrations at Johannesburg City Hall on Sunday to revive the organisation’s ideals and values.
He says a number of speakers will be lined-up for the event.
“The UDF40 believes anchoring with the UDF core values and approaches will renew deep commitment and provide clear direction for building a South Africa in which we can all prosper in the democracy we can all be proud of. We encourage those who can attend the event on Sunday to join us at the Old Johannesburg City Hall. The programme will have the attraction of the main speakers being Archbishop Makgoba, Mr. Popo Molefe, and the president of the republic who would then be joining us to this momentous event.”
UDF’s stance on current issues
Meanwhile, the Reverend Frank Chikane has dismissed criticism from Allan Boesak that the United Democratic Front had been largely quiet and selective in its disapproval of the direction the country is taking. Chikane was addressing the media about the preparations for the 40th-anniversary celebrations.
Some founding members of the UDF have called for active citizenry to solve the many problems facing the country. Earlier, Boesak who is one of the founding members of the UDF accused his contemporaries of being selective in their criticism of the government.
Boesak has been calling for the revival of UDF:
But Chikane says they have been consistent in their concerns.
“Why were you quiet all this time, well I think you wouldn’t be correct because all the people who are sitting here have not been quiet in their various capacity not as UDF. The UDF is now 40th anniversary but none of the persons sitting here have been quiet about what is happening in the country and you can talk to each one of them about how they have been dealing with the issues and have expressed views and have also proposed solutions to the country, so it is not the first time that we are talking.”
