By Mbalire Brian Kisuule II
Your Daily Friend
Excitement is running high among NUP supporters in South Africa as they prepare for the much-anticipated visit of their party president, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine. It has become a tradition for Mr. Wine to meet his supporters in South Africa every year. Last year, he held a meeting in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, before proceeding to other cities to engage with Ugandans living there.
It is now public knowledge that this year’s visit will begin in Johannesburg, Africa’s only world-class city, on 18th July, which also happens to be Mandela Day. This symbolic timing appears intentional, as the president is expected to engage the Ugandan diaspora in a meaningful two-in-one event. According to Mr. Richard Kamya, head of NUP’s Gauteng branch and a key figure in organizing the visit, the choice of date reflects the ideological alignment between President Kyagulanyi and the late Nelson Mandela – both champions of freedom, justice, and equality.
All Ugandans living in Gauteng are invited to join the president in celebrating Mandela Day. As 2025 is an election year in Uganda, this visit also provides an opportunity for the president to hear directly from the diaspora community.
When asked about the recent closed-doordelegates’conference which was not open to journalists. Mr. Kamya dismissed the criticism. “A delegates’ conference is attended by invitation only. We don’t need external validation. NUP is a revolutionary party; we do things differently,” he said. “Look at the ANC here in South Africa, they also limit media access. That doesn’t mean they lack internal democracy. We had journalists you can research on that, though only a select few. The
real issue is removing the dictator; everything else is secondary, and Ugandans support our process.”
This will be Hon. Kyagulanyi’s second time contesting in Uganda’s presidential elections. In the 2021 elections, he lost to Museveni in a race widely criticized for lacking credibility by international observers.
NUP leaders in Pretoria are mobilizing supporters across Pretoria to attend the event in large numbers. “We’re arranging transport for those without means to travel to Johannesburg,” said Mr. GodfreyNyanzi, chairmanofKunga in South Africa. “Various collection centers have been set up where people will gather before heading to Johannesburg together.”
While the exact date and time of the Nup president’s arrival in South Africa remain confidential for now, organizers promise to communicate details through official channels to ensure a warm reception at the airport. However, Pearl of Africa News has reliably learned that Bobi Wine is expected to land on 16th July, ahead of high-level meetings scheduled before the public events.
After his Johannesburg engagement on Mandela Day(18th July), the president will proceed to Cape Town on 19th July, and conclude his South Africa tour in Umthatha, Eastern Cape, on 20th July, before flying back to his home country (Uganda).
