The ANC has moved to calm tensions after members of the Chris Hani family walked out of a wreath-laying event in Ekurhuleni earlier this week. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said on Friday that the party remains on good terms with the family and that their concerns must be addressed.

The disagreement centred on an event held on Wednesday, 8 April, two days before the anniversary of Hani’s assassination on 10 April 1993. According to Limpho Hani, the family had expected a short wreath-laying ceremony, not a full public commemoration.

ANC seeks to calm Chris Hani commemoration dispute

Mbalula said the ANC’s relationship with the Hani family remains intact despite the fallout at the gravesite. He told reporters there were “no issues” between the party and the family, especially Limpho Hani, and said officials in Ekurhuleni had been instructed to engage the family over the concerns raised.

According to the source material, the family objected after the City of Ekurhuleni allegedly changed the nature of the event without consultation. Limpho Hani described the gathering in scathing terms and said it should have remained a simple wreath-laying because the formal anniversary fell on Friday, 10 April.

Separate reporting by eNCA also said the family was unhappy that the event had expanded beyond what had been agreed and that consultation had been lacking.

Official programme held in Mpumalanga

Mbalula said the Ekurhuleni ceremony was not the main official Chris Hani commemoration this year. He said commemorations had been decentralised after earlier engagements with the family, noting that last year’s event was held in Cofimvaba while this year’s official programme was taking place in Mpumalanga.

That account aligns with official government notices, which announced the 33rd Chris Hani commemoration in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in Mpumalanga during Freedom Month. Government said the event would honour Hani’s role in the liberation struggle and mark the anniversary of his assassination on 10 April 1993.

Wider alliance tensions spill into the debate

The dispute also exposed tension within the ANC-led alliance. In the source article, Mbalula pushed back against remarks by ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji, who had suggested that Hani’s legacy should not be claimed by SACP general-secretary Solly Mapaila. Mbalula said both the ANC and SACP have legitimate ties to Hani’s political legacy.

He added that altercations and political point-scoring at Hani’s gravesite were inappropriate and called for discipline and respect.