The colours of the ANC are rippling through parts of Cape Town as the party prepares to celebrate in Khayelitsha. This article is free to read.Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.Unlike our competitors, we don't force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.Create your free account or sign in FAQ | Contact Us

Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us: You want to receive First Thing, our flagship daily newsletter. Opt out at any time. Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you've forgotten A code has been sent to .... Please check your email and enter your one-time pin below: Didn't get the code? Resend email Use your password instead? Enter password Open in Gmail Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

Listen to this article 5 min Listen to this article 5 min By the afternoon of Monday, 6 January, parts of Cape Town were flush with not only fancy SUVs and blue lights, but also the green and gold of the African National Congress (ANC) on full display as members gathered for the party's birthday celebrations.

ANC party members are starting to gather in Cape Town - a city where they are in the opposition benches in council - to celebrate the party's traditional January celebrations at the Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha on Saturday, 11 January.

National Executive Committee (NEC) members arrived in throngs at Cape Town's Cape Sun hotel - some dressed in ANC regalia, others hopping out of SUVs, ahead of the celebrations.

Monday's special NEC meeting focused on getting the ANC's speech ready. Several government ministers walked speedily past journalists into the meeting.

This celebration serves as the party's platform to outline its plans for the year, headlined by a speech by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa. Issues at the top of the list include the South African Communist Party's decision to contest elections on its own - and remain within the Tripartite Alliance as well...