On Tuesday, panic set off when Luthuli House workers were evacuated from the Johannesburg building due to a security breach.
Luthuli House evacuation: What was the reason behind it?
According to ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe, the emergency evacuation was necessitated by a security threat that came after discussions between party officials and members of the Liberation Struggle War Veterans (LSWV) turned sour.
From what we understand, on Monday, LSWV members led a protested at the ANC’s headquarters, demanding the attention of party leaders President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy David Mabuza, who also chairs the Presidential Task Team on the issues of Military veterans.
However, neither Mabuza, Ramaphosa nor any other high-ranking ANC official was available since they were deployed to different provinces to manage election campaigns.
The LSWV members were allowed to spend the night at Luthuli House and on Tuesday, after meeting with ANC delegates, things turned sour inside the building.
“On Tuesday evening, while discussions between delegations about practical arrangements were in progress, a breach of our headquarters took place,” Mabe revealed.
Mabuza to address struggle veterans
While the ANC did not reveal what the actual nature of the security breach was, Mabe did indicate that an evacuation was the last resort taken to protect the security and health of its occupants.
“Being at the headquarters again this evening would have been a little bit of a difficulty due to the fact that there is only a specific number it can accommodate. Once we are having to deal with a situation where we find ourselves acting like a dormitory, and the fact that we’re still under Covid conditions, it becomes a little difficult for us to be able to comprehend the situation. It was more of a health threat, not a security breach,” he said.
Regarding the grievances of the LSWV, Mabe confirmed that Mabuza would be withdrawn from his campaign duties and address the struggle veterans in a meeting scheduled for Thursday.