Ramaphosa confident ANC will get over 50% in elections. Image: Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP.
Ramaphosa expresses confidence in ANC securing over 50% in elections
Ramaphosa also seized the moment to criticise the Democratic Alliance, suggesting that the ANC could gain control of the Western Cape.
Ramaphosa confident ANC will get over 50% in elections. Image: Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his assurance that the African National Congress (ANC) will secure more than 50% of the votes in the forthcoming national and provincial elections, expressing optimism about the party’s potential victory in the Western Cape.
Confident Ramaphosa foresees over 50% votes on 29 May
On 29 May, South Africans will participate in what is anticipated to be the most fiercely contested elections since the dawn of democracy thirty years ago.
Speaking to a crowd of thousands at Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium on Wednesday, Ramaphosa, as the leader of the ANC, underscored the party’s objective of securing a definitive victory in the election. He emphasised the determination of the people to prevent the party from falling below the 50% mark.
“There are those who go around, various political parties who go around and are our opponents. They run around the country like little brakkies, running around and saying all manner of things saying nweh, nweh, nweh (sic).”
The ANC president also seized the moment to aim the Democratic Alliance (DA), suggesting that the ANC might gain control of the Western Cape province.
“They are saying that the ANC is going to be below 50%. I want to give them a very clear message. The workers of this country, the people of this country are not going to allow the ANC to go below 50%. They are going for an outright majority of the African National Congress and here in the Western Cape, we are going to show those who believe that the Western Cape belong to them, that the African National Congress is coming after you,” Ramaphosa said.
According to The Citizen, Ramaphosa stated that there is still much work to be done to address the lingering effects of apartheid even 30 years later.
“We remember the generations of worker leaders, organizers, shop stewards and many unionists who fought for the rights of all workers and the freedom of our people. We also recall the sacrifices that were made in the course of freedom.
“The lives that were lost, the suffering that was endured by so many workers in our country so that we could achieve our freedom. Many were killed, because the made the mistake of aligning themselves with the liberation struggle of our people. Many fled the country because they were liberation fighters.
“Many were possibly removed from their homes, land, because they dared as workers to stand up to the apartheid misrulers of our country,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa affirmed that the government will persist in the struggle that workers have historically championed.
Surveys suggest ANC could face unprecedented election loss
According to Business Live, Standard Bank’s initial predictions indicate that the ANC will likely lose its majority in the upcoming general election.
This aligns with recent surveys suggesting that the ruling party is poised for its weakest electoral outcome since the end of apartheid, signalling a significant transformation in South Africa’s political dynamics.
Since 1994, the ANC, led by Nelson Mandela and subsequent leaders, has seen a gradual decline in its national support.
This decline is attributed to widespread dissatisfaction with corruption, inadequate delivery of essential services, and an economy characterised by stagnation, contributing to one of the world’s highest unemployment rates.
According to TRT Afrika, Ramaphosa has conveyed optimism that the African National Congress (ANC) will maintain its parliamentary majority in the upcoming 29 May 29elections, despite opinion polls indicating a decline in popularity for the ruling party.
“The party that I am leading, the African National Congress, is not going to lose its (parliamentary) majority on May 29,”
Ramaphosa informed journalists on Sunday in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where he had participated in the commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
“Many South Africans still love the African National Congress. And I am brimming with confidence that we are going to do well in the elections. So, watch this space,” he added.
According to a survey conducted by SABI Strategy Group in February 2024, South Africa is projected to have a coalition government following the May polls, which will determine the composition of a new National Assembly.
Subsequently, the newly elected parliament will select the next president.
