On the back of a string of by-election losses that caused panic in Luthuli House, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal claims to have gained the electorate’s confidence during its campaign trail in Port Shepstone and surrounding areas over the long weekend.
According to provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, members of the provincial executive committee (PEC) interacted with more than 30 000 community members in various wards during a community outreach programme.
Mtolo told the media during a briefing on Wednesday that the initiative was “part of the election campaign trail which will see national, provincial, and regional leaders criss-crossing all corners of the province”.
“We are satisfied with engagements with communities – the young and old – the urban and the rural in the Tolomane region. The people of this region stated unequivocally that the ANC remains their party of choice,” said Mtolo.
He said community members also “vowed to continue to place their trust in the organisation of OR [Oliver Reginald] Tambo as the only vehicle for the transformation of their lives”.
According to Mtolo, communities acknowledge the challenges the party faces in government “and they were robust in their demands for immediate interventions from branch executive committee members, regional, provincial and national leaders”.
“Our position as the ANC is that this is the time for ANC leadership to take responsibility for the failures and successes of the ANC government. We accept that ANC leaders must be ready to take the blame and accept the praises in equal measure,” he said.
Among the positives during the campaign, said Mtolo, was that the “people of Tolomane region appreciated the recent visit by the ANC provincial government”.
He referred to the trip undertaken by a government delegation led by premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube on March 28.
“This visit was in line with the resolution of the ANC Lekgotla held towards the end of February. The Lekgotla mandated the ANC provincial government to come closer to the people,” he said.
Mtolo added that the ANC in the province received a detailed report on the allocation of resources by all government departments to sustain a united front against crime, an initiative based on the integrated approach involving all spheres of government to eradicate crime from society.
“We wish to report that all provincial government departments have allocated R10-million each towards crime-fighting initiatives.
“The PEC is firm in its position that this money must also be used to pay stipends to volunteers involved in community policing forums, street committees, and other crime-fighting initiatives,” he said.
On the issue of traditional leaders, the ANC affirmed support for the increase of stipends paid to secretaries of traditional councils from R1 500 to R8 000.
“We acknowledge the back office and administrative support provided by secretaries to traditional leaders who remain the ears and eyes of Isilo Samabandla [AmaZulu King MisuZulu kaZwelithini].”
Linked to the above, Mtolo said: “It is our commitment as the ANC to see the smooth implementation of the national school nutrition programme.”
He added that the ANC received a satisfactory progress report on the feeding scheme.
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