On November 4, South Africa will hold the municipal elections, which means the silly season is upon us. Political parties have started campaigning and making empty promises.
Last Sunday, the ANC delivered its election manifesto in Diepsloot.
Cyril Ramaphosa’s party was also supposed to announce its mayoral candidates list but did not. Apparently, the top seven are divided on the list. On the other hand, the regions also want to have a say in the matter, as they have in the past. Clearly, the centre does not hold.
That said, the ANC has run out of ideas. According to media reports, it is planning to turn all Sassa beneficiaries into indigents. The beneficiaries don’t even have to apply. Municipalities will get a list from Sassa and automatically make them indigents. If this is not desperation, I don’t know what is.
The announcement was made without putting much thought into it. It is neither feasible nor sustainable. In fact, it will finish off struggling municipalities and put a strain on the few paying residents. And the ANC knows that but it does not care. All it wants is to retain power.
The former liberation movement has another ludicrous plan: to merge Gauteng metros — Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane. Yet it has failed to govern them properly. It would seem like the ANC likes experimenting, yet it has been in power for more than 20 years.
My sense is that the ANC has finally realised that it has reached its sell-by date and that it might lose the election because of, among other things, corruption and mismanagement. It’s acting desperately.
Thabile Mange, Kagiso II
- South Africa will hold municipal elections on November 4, with political parties actively campaigning and making promises.
- The ANC delivered its election manifesto in Diepsloot but did not announce its mayoral candidates due to divisions among the top seven and input from regional branches.
- The ANC plans to automatically classify all Sassa beneficiaries as indigents, providing municipalities with a list to grant them indigent status without application.
- This plan to turn Sassa beneficiaries into indigents is viewed as neither feasible nor sustainable and is expected to strain struggling municipalities and paying residents.
- The ANC also proposes merging Gauteng metros Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, and Tshwane despite its previous governance failures in these areas.
On
Last
Cyril Ramaphosa’s party was also supposed to announce its mayoral candidates list but did not. Apparently, the top seven are divided on the list. On the other hand, the regions also want to have a say in the matter, as they have in the past. Clearly, the centre does not hold.
My sense is that the ANC has finally realised that it has reached its sell-by date and that it might lose the election because of, among other things, corruption and mismanagement. It’s acting desperately.
