By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has assured voters that the party will take a tough stance against representatives who fail in their mandates.
In its election manifesto, launched on Monday evening Ramaphosa, the party said it would improve the quality of leadership in local government.
He was joined by former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, with former president Jacob Zuma a noticeable but expected absence following his recent release to Nkandla on medical parole after he was imprisoned for showing contempt to the Constitutional Court.
Ramaphosa was given cheers by the relatively small crowd observing the limit of no more than 500 people during the Covid lockdown when he wished Zuma a “speedy recovery”. This despite Zuma recently accusing Ramaphosa of presiding over a “constitutional dictatorship” and his daughter Duduzile Sambudla-Zuma insulting the ANC by calling it the “Apartheid National Congress” and rebranding it in the colours of the South African flag.
During Zuma’s tenure, Mbeki refused to campaign and endorse the ANC, but he did so during the 2019 elections and was once again visible on Monday.
Prior to Ramaphosa’s address, numerous speakers, including the heads of the tripartite alliance (the SA Communist Party and Congress of SA Trade Unions), extolled the virtues and achievements of the ANC and encouraged voters to once again support the party in the polls on 1 November this year.
During his address, Ramaphosa touched on what he claimed to be the successes of the ANC government, including the supposed fight against corruption, initiatives to create jobs and grow the economy, improved service delivery and the implementation of other reforms. He said the country’s institutions were being “revitalised” and that the ANC would commit itself to turning local governments around in a way that was similar to how this was being done nationally.
“Now is the time to focus on local government and we intend to do exactly that.”
Ramaphosa said more people now had access to water, electricity and other basic services, thanks to the ANC.
He said the ANC had been slow to act when public representatives abused their positions or failed the mandate the people had given them.
In its manifesto, the party said it would subject mayors and senior managers to lifestyle audits to “limit the scope for corruption”.
“…Requiring mayors and councillors to sign performance agreements, with agreed targets, against which they will be measured.”
The ANC said it would strengthen monitoring capacity in provincial and national governments to intervene early in municipalities when problems occurred.
The party promised to thoroughly interview all mayoral candidates and check their backgrounds to determine their strengths and weaknesses to ensure the best candidates were selected.
Ramaphosa said that South Africans wanted the governing party to correct mistakes it had made,to serve all the people of the country and has pleaded with voters to give it another chance to lead the country’s dysfunctional municipalities.
The Auditor-General noted that only 27 municipalities in the country achieved clean audits – an indicator of the deteriorating state of local government.
Read the Full Manifesto here:2021 ANC Manifesto.