By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections and acknowledged significant progress made to improve the lives of the people of South Africa.
Ramaphosa says the governing party’s Manifesto Review process has slowly, but surely catapulted them to victory in the 2024 national elections.
With the ANC projected to drop below 50%, the ruling party has looked to rally the ANC leaders to unite and work harder in their election campaign.
Combatting crime, addressing the energy crisis, and devising strategies to attract voters ahead of the 2024 general elections were among the key topics on the agenda at the NEC meeting in Boksburg.
Delivering his closing remarks on Monday, Ramaphosa said the election manifesto review was not aimed at producing “a report card”, but rather “an ambitious and achievable programme of action” for the next five years.
The Manifesto Review process saw a presentation of Statistician General, Rusenga Maluleke who looked at a number of issues ranging from poverty alleviation to job creation, access to water, electricity and health among others.
Ramaphosa says despite the challenges, Maluleke’s presentation pointed to a government at work with a lot progress made.
“The Statistician General said that the grants that the government is making available to our people has reduced vulnerability to hunger at an individual and household level, and that seven out of ten households their first call, when they are sick is to a public healthcare facility, with more 90% having access to electricity connectivity and with 89% of South African households having access to improved water resources, “notes Ramaphosa.
He said the manifesto will be an inclusive process, born out of the views that the ANC members and their alliance partners expressed at the NEC meeting.
The president pointed out that the ANC would engage with the public once party leaders have gathered all the views and outline what the governing party has done in implementing their 2019 manifesto.
“We all agreed that much more needs to be done to complete the execution of our 2019 manifesto. I would like to believe that much has been done [but] a lot still needs to be done and that we will raise from here knowing that a great deal of progress has been made.
“In other words, the glass is not empty, the glass is half full and moving towards being full. That’s precisely where we are, “he continued.
Ramaphosa acknowledged the positive strides made by the governing party in accomplishing its goals set out in the 2019 manifesto.
“At the center of the 2019 election manifesto was the commitment to work together with our people and various formations in our country to transform the economy and to serve the people of our country,” he said.
He said ministers who were unable to deliver on priorities that the governing party had set out would face harsh consequences.
Ramaphosa said the process has already started in government following his meetings with various members of his Cabinet in April.
“At Cabinet level, the deputy president and myself have been involved in the process where we have been meeting each one of our ministers and saying to them we want to know and fully understand against our manifesto, against the medium-term strategic review and against the departmental plans that they have, what are the key priorities leading to the end of this sixth term.
“Having sat down with all our ministers, they tabulated what their priorities are. We have noted them all and that is what they going to be measured against,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that he would meet with the ministers again for a performance review in six months time.
“When we meet them, they must have their deputy ministers, [director-generals] and some of the key officials to account on what they would have done in executing those priorities. We said we are not going to accept any excuses or explanations [because] the priorities they have set out must be addressed, met and executed, otherwise a lot of things will happen.”
“I leave this meeting with my spirit lifted, and I think all of us do and with this, I do believe we have got really a good platform for the ANC going to the 2024 elections with victory wrapped around our hands without any doubt,” said Ramaphosa.
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Video Courtesy of MYANC.