Benevolent Deputy Chief Whip of ANC Councillors Seabelo Marishane celebrated the ANC’s 113th birthday with new-born babies at the Stanza Bopape Clinic as well as at the Mamelodi Regional Hospital on Wednesday.
Marishane donated baby hamper to mother’s who gave birth on 8 January that include ANC baby blanket and also share an ANC cake with mother’s and staff at the health facility.
“My office as Ward 16 Councillor has a culture and tradition to celebrate the ANC’s birthday with new-born babies who are delivered into the world on the 8th of January of every year,” said Marishane.
“This is as per advice by the late statesman and ANC president Nelson Mandela, who encouraged us to celebrate his own birthday and that of the ANC together with the indigents, the infirm, the elderly and the children,” explained the Councillor.
From the aforesaid groups of people, Marishane chose to celebrate the ANC’s birthday with babies born on the 8th of January because their date of birth coincides with that of the ANC.
The ANC was formed in Bloemfontein, Free State in 1912 on the 8th of January.
“At both the Stanza Bopape Clinic and the Mamelodi Regional Hospital i brought goodies to the new-born babies in the form of baby starter packs comprising a bath tub, baby clothing that would last for more or less ten days, napkins that would last for a month, feeding bottle, teaspoon, feeding bowl as well as bathing material and a blanket draped in ANC colours,” he said.
“I have been running this programme of celebrating ANC birthdays with new-born children for ten years now and the number of gifts we buy for the children depends on the year that the ANC happens to be celebrating; for instance if the ANC is celebrating 113 years then we will buy 13 gifts and next year we will buy 14 gifts as the party will be celebrating 114 years,” explained Marishane.
But Marishane pointed out that they normally buy extra gifts just in case the number of babies born on the 8th of January at any of the said institutions happens to be more than that of the targeted number.
Mothers who gave birth and received baby hampers were so happy and were speechless and tears of joy were all over mothers faces.