ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa urged hundreds of jubilant ANC followers in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality to exercise their rights by voting the ANC back into power on 1 November 2021’s forthcoming local government elections.
The confident ANC president, who was clad in ANC regalia while waving to ANC followers, visited wards 38, 50 and 60 to embark on a door to door campaign in the city.
The ANC lost the metro to the Democratic Alliance and its allies in 2016 after gaining 47 seats against those of the DA which increased to 57 seats.
The DA governs the metro in coalition parties such as the UDM with two councillors and AIC, COPE and ACDP with one councillor each.
Speaking to a crowd of over 500 people in ward 50, KwaLanga township in Uitenhage, Ramaphosa said the ANC is going to win the 1 November 2021 municipal elections and take back one of South Africa’s category A municipalities from the DA.
“We visited a number of places here in Nelson Mandela Municipality which is run by the DA, which always says that where they govern, they govern better.
“But I’m finding that the experience of our people here tells a completely different story.
I never want to try and bash other parties…but it is the people’s experience here that tells a different story…the people here are really struggling.”
Ramaphosa said the ANC victory will bring dramatic change into people’s lives.
“The development that we have seen (such as the building of hundreds of RDP houses in Greenfields) was first initiated by the ANC government, prior to 2016, and since then…people are saying that they haven’t seen much development.
Nelson Mandela Bay is going to return to the African National Congress,” he said
Meanwhile, service delivery in an ANC controlled ward 50, in one of the oldest townships is crippling.
There are water leaks in most of the streets of Mandela Village, Tambo Village, 20th, 22nd, 23rd and most shockingly, in most areas of KwaLanga.
Rubbish is always piling up in open spaces in the area too.
Voting will take place on 1 November 2021 and every South African citizen aged 18 and above can exercise their right and vote for the political party of their choice to govern in a 120-member council.
Only those registered using their Smart ID card, green-barcode ID book, a Temporary ID certificate will be allowed to vote on the day.
By Thamsanqa Mbovane
