Sowetan understands the directive to mobilise ANC members from "the closest regions" was given to provincial branches yesterday.

The party intends bringing 50000 people to Johannesburg to protests against the controversial portraits depicting President Jacob Zuma with exposed genitals.

On Friday Mantashe announced plans to march outside the Johannesburg High Court, where crowds have gathered to support Zuma who was trying to interdict the gallery and City Pressto remove the painting and apologise.

Mantashe said the court battle must be won on the streets first.

Mantashe has also called for a boycott of the newspaper until it removes the painting from display and apologises. The newspaper was the first to publish the painting.

Its editor, Ferial Haffajee, yesterday apologised for the hurt caused by the paper's publishing of the portrait, but refused to remove the image from the City Press website.

In her column Haffajee addressed Zuma's daughter, Duduzile, saying: "I understand that what is a work of satire to me is a portrait of pain to you."

The ANC, Zuma and his children feel the painting was distasteful, insulting and an infringement of his right to human dignity.

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said all the logistics related to the march would be communicated today.

The SA Communist Party resolved at its central committee at the weekend to join the march to force the gallery owners to show remorse for displaying the painting titled The Spear.

The party's general-secretary, Blade Nzimande, will today lead a delegation to City Press offices, where he hopes to reach consensus with the newspaper on the "offensive" nature of Cape Town artist Brett Murray's painting.

"It would perhaps help them better understand the outrage of our people," Nzimande said yesterday.

He acknowledged the importance of freedom of expression and that of artistic expression in a democracy, but warned it was not an "abstract, universalist right".

"The gallery must acknowledge it hurt not only the president and his family, but millions of other people. Being an adult requires that you admit when you've done something wrong," he said.

Nzimande said it was disconcerting that sections of society in the country have taken black people's gesture of reconciliation as a sign of weakness.

He also downplayed intimidation tactics on their part by calling on people not to buy the newspaper.

The ANC Youth League has raised concern at the ruling party's "increasing intolerance of differing views".

Comments

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Sat May 25 03:24:55 SAST 2013 ::

May 28, 2012

Stealth

Its no secret that without JZ Gwede is a political nothing so he has to create something out of nothing.
He is trying to make a big stink about Jacobs "john" instead of service delivery and fighting his corrupt cronies. How about an ANC march against the real issues like crime corruption and nepotism.
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May 28, 2012

ProgressiveAfricanDemocrat

NO Mr Mantashe, we are not going. This whole thing is being used to campaign for Jacob Zuma in the runup to Mangaung. This painting is a personal matter for Jacob Zuma that should not involve the entire ANC.
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May 28, 2012

NDA

It show that zuma and his cronies are really desperate for support, look what happend yesterday city press was selling like hot cakes whilst they called for the boycott of the paper.
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May 28, 2012

NDA

This is so irrelevant this Mantshe must be called to order, he is misleading the masses.
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May 28, 2012

Papage

Stop waisting time, fight your own battles, we want people to go to work, we want students to go to school, if your Courts can't remove that picture and your lawyer is a crying baby, why use us to fight your battles? and yet when I fight my own you dont even no me. Go to hell
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May 28, 2012

1tsotsi

If its a strategy by zuma to get sympathy from the mass leading to mangaung, not this time, surely people can see that the tables have turned. We not going to waste time by going to that protest. He made his own bedLet him lie on it.
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May 28, 2012

Papage

Never in the History of the ANC, we ever had a Joke Leader like this, People making fun of their President, what kind of President is he? Zuma must just go, stay with your many wives and children, safe yourself and your children the embarassment, get out now before bigger damage is done.
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May 28, 2012

NDA

@ Papage

My sentiments exactly Papa.
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May 28, 2012

Bebesocs

The people who draw the attention of the world is NDZIMANDE, MANTASHE & ZUMA CHILDREN.
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May 28, 2012

Bebesocs

I love men with balloned shiny cheeks.
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