President Cyril Ramaphosa says the ANC is unmatched going into the May 29 general elections, and in Limpopo, the governing party expects to garner at least 80% voter support.
Ramaphosa told ANC members and supporters at the provincial Siyanqoba rally in Malamulele that the ANC would stride into highly contested polls with heads held high, even if sceptics predicted that the party would drop below 50% of the national support for the first time since democracy in 1994.
He promised that the party’s final Siyanqoba rally at the FNB Stadium on May 25 would demonstrate the source of the party’s confidence, adding that the 90 000-seat venue will be packed to the rafters.
“We stand on the cusp of a great victory by the African National Congress,” Ramaphosa roared. He said it was amusing that journalists often asked him what would happen if the ANC fell below 50% and if the party was toying with the notion of a coalition government.
“No? What are you talking about? The ANC is not going to fall below 50%. The ANC is going to have an outright majority,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the ANC deserved to remain in power because of the party’s achievements in government since the dawn of democracy in 1994. He said millions of people have houses today, and Limpopo was a clear demonstration of how the country had really changed.
“We now guarantee the -fundamental rights and -freedoms of all our people. -After years of struggle, the workers in our country now have rights. They are protected. All workers have rights to a safe and decent working place, to join unions, to engage in collective bargaining, and also to strike.”
He said the ANC government introduced the national minimum wage in the past few years, which enabled up to six million workers to have their wages increased, particularly farm workers and domestic workers.
He said that the majority of South Africans had electricity, and the supply had penetrated even the deep rural areas of Limpopo. “Yes, we are experiencing loadshedding, but it is a problem that we are addressing and successfully resolving.”
He acknowledged that water supply was also a major problem, but the minister of water and sanitation and his deputy were “working day and night to ensure that we resolve the water problem”.
Ramaphosa continued: “And yes, we are helping to curb the poverty levels and inequality in our country through years of assisting the livelihoods of our people through social grants.”
He said that the ANC government would continue to grow our economy through industrialisation, focusing on special economic zones.
“We are continuing to work to transform our economy, particularly here in Limpopo, to ensure that it is inclusive. It must be an inclusive economy that is able to work for all.”
Ramaphosa said that the persistent dominance of white people in the economy posed a significant challenge. “And through black economic empowerment programmes, we are opening up our economy so that black people who were prevented from playing a role can continue to play a key role.”
