Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, stated on Saturday that if his party wins handily in the election, it will build on the achievements of the previous three decades and seek to address the issues of high unemployment, crime, and poverty in the nation.
At the election manifesto unveiling in Durban, a beach city in KwaZulu-eastern Natal’s province, Ramaphosa listed his party’s six focus areas.
For the first time since Nelson Mandela guided the nation through its first democratic elections following the end of apartheid 30 years ago, according to recent surveys, the African National Congress (ANC) may lose its parliamentary majority in the election scheduled for May 29.
“We need to achieve more and better together, we cannot take all this success for granted,” Ramaphosa said to the more than 75,000 members and supporters who had assembled in a stadium.
Ramaphosa, 71, is running for president again, but he has a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Low growth, growing unemployment, and ANC-led government embroiled in corruption scandals have been hallmarks of the last 15 years of governance.
The most industrialized economy in Africa has grown very slowly over the past ten years, averaging about 0.8% annually since 2012.
Following Jacob Zuma’s departure in 2018, Ramaphosa ran on a platform of renewal and recovery and won the first term. Nevertheless, since taking office, he has failed to significantly reduce crime, combat corruption, and spur economic growth.
During his tenure, the unemployment rate rose from 29.1% in his first year of office to 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, as the failing state-owned electricity company, Eskom, tries to maintain its aging network of coal-fired power plants, the nation has seen progressively more severe blackouts.
In his summary of his party’s accomplishments over the past three decades, Ramaphosa emphasized the progressive constitution of the nation and the efforts made to create a democratic, non-racialized society as noteworthy turning points.
An employment program to combat unemployment, leveraging industries to spur economic growth, and addressing the high cost of living through better access to essential services that are subsidized are some of the ANC’s election priorities.
The ANC has lost the trust of South Africans, and Ramaphosa admitted that it has committed “missteps.”
He promised that newly elected leaders will go through a thorough screening procedure if the African National Congress won handily.
(Reuters)
