By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is on an election campaign in Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa is leading the ANC campaign trail in Ekurhuleni with door-to-door and community meetings planned for the day.
Ekurhuleni is the only key metro in Gauteng where the governing party has governed since 2016 through a coalition after failing to secure the required majority votes to form government.
Since 2016, the ANC has been leading a coalition government in the city of five other political parties including the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the African Independent Congress (AIC), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the Patriotic Alliance and the Independent Ratepayers Association (IRASA).
The governing party is pulling all stops deploying Ramaphosa in a push to take over the metro, where residents are not immune to water and electricity crisis.
Ramaphosa did not receive a warm welcome from members of the local Tembisa community as they vowed not to vote for the ANC in the next elections.
He arrived at the Ekurhuleni community care centre in Tembisa, he was greeted by protesting residents complaining about the candidate for their ward in the upcoming local government elections.
Community leader Khosi Mahlangu said: “We are protesting against the unfair processes happening in ward six, the Swaziland voting district, whereby it was not given an opportunity to choose a candidate for the upcoming local government elections. So the community is not going to vote.”
She claims that a candidate was imposed on the community. “We launched disputes and we didn’t get a report back. We want answers from Ramaphosa,” she said.
Ramaphosa is expected to visit the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela area as well as the Mpumelelo Primary School and Coptic Orthodox Church, canvassing for votes and mobilising people to vote on November 1.
Meanwhile ANC Chairperson Gwede Mantashe is on a two day campaign trial in the Eastern Cape,a traditional ANC stronghold.
Elsewhere ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile was in caught in a video handing out money during a door-to-door campaign in Limpopo.
ANC Treasurer, Paul Mashatile handing out money to congregants in Limpopo, where he is doing door-to-door campaign. ANC staffs have not been paid for at least three months now via @PelaneM #Election2021 #ANCLGE2021 pic.twitter.com/Exz2nieajW
— Mpho Maṱhoho (@MaxMpho) September 26, 2021
Mashatile urged councillors not “come with their plans”, but instead implement the plans of the ANC. He said improving service delivery will be a priority for the ruling party.