ANTHONY BUTLER: An ANC Christmas lunch plan for the ages

It’s all in the planning, not the plating, nor the eating

First published in BusinessLive, December 19, 2025

The national general council of the ANC has endorsed a strategy and tactics for the preparation of post-colonial Christmas lunch. The movement confirms that the roasting process encapsulates the transition from a state of raw potential to a revolutionary National Democratic Feast (NDF), reaffirming the centrality of the recipe as our lodestar.

The transition from a state of hunger to NDF requires the eradication of the English colonial Christmas template as the sole national norm. We must use this breakthrough to launch a systemic transition that moves beyond the historical injustice of limited menus toward a society in which the people shall share in the country’s abundance. Our vision of the lunch table is characterised by unity in diversity, ensuring that multiple culinary identities based on regional location and cultural heritage are a source of strength for the nation.

This project of thoroughgoing transformation requires a united revolutionary movement of kitchen cadres with the organisational capabilities to strategise, coordinate, and implement the roasting programme.

To realise the vision of a society in which the people shall share in the country’s cholesterol, motive forces, or ingredients, must be mobilised on the platter. The leading force, roast chicken, must be liberated from the bondage of its packaging. A strategic centre comprising a robust alliance of gammon or roast beef, supported occasionally by a leg of lamb, should diversify the industrial base of the meal.

A developmental oven, where available, must realise its strategic role in shaping the contours of development by directing the kitchen’s resources toward a common programme of maintaining a steady heat of 180°C to ensure the progressive realisation of a golden-brown exterior.

The masses of our people must also mobilise braai meats, including boerewors, chops and chicken, as a militant contingent against limited portions. The movement licenses the neocolonial bird, the turkey, as the lodestar of the festive programme in settler households, but only if prepared with aromatics and roasted until the skin is crisp.

The five side dish pillars overcome the spatial distortions of the table by ensuring the creamy potato salad, rice salad, and green salad are distributed as close as possible to the main growth centres. The seven colours coalition programme must be implemented with rice, beetroot, pumpkin, cabbage, and potato salad, and so reflect the multi-class character of our movement. In accordance with our deep roots and connection with the people, particularly in Eastern Cape families, umngqusho shall be elevated as a critical social force within the meal.

In building a developmental starch sector, the state shall direct resources toward the expansion of pap with chakalaka, roast potatoes, and buttered carrots, ensuring these sectors contribute to the growing prosperity of the festive economy.

Sharing the benefits of abundance and hospitality is as important as achieving the roast itself. Therefore, the second phase of our transition will be characterised by the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights in the form of a diverse dessert course. The multi-layered trifle representing the first, second, third, and fourth generations of human rights through layers of custard, jelly, sponge, and fruit. The malva pudding provides a sustainable indigenous resource for the wellbeing of current and future generations. The Christmas cake supports the store-bought sector as an integral part of our mixed economy.

By building a broad consensus on the carving strategy and the allocation of sides, we can confront the challenges of a large family gathering with confidence. The conclusion we reach at the dinner table must be informed by the widest possible input from our people. By building a broad consensus on the carving strategy, we can confront the hunger we face with confidence, as a united movement with a clear vision of the meal ahead.

• This satirical statement was issued by UCT professor and culinary provocateur Anthony Butler. He does not cook for the ANC.