President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday warned opposition parties that the ANC, which in recent years has been losing support, will be the party to beat come next year’s general elections.
Addressing ANC supporters during the commemoration of Pietermaritzburg-based liberation struggle heroes Moses Mabhida and Johnny Makhathini in Imbali township, Ramaphosa said party divisions, which contributed to a loss of support, were now a thing of the past.
“The work that has been done I saw yesterday in KwaDukuza, I could see that the leadership is energising … our membership, our volunteers and our people. With that I can smell victory for the ANC,” the president said.
“I want to encourage you to continue uniting this glorious movement, and the divisions that we had in the past, we [will] put them aside and let us unite this important vehicle of liberation of our people.”
Ramaphosa laid wreaths at the graves of Mabhida and Makhathini, who are buried at the Imbali Heroes Acre where Sunday’s event was held.
He told ANC members to draw inspiration from the leadership qualities exhibited by both stalwarts. “They did a lot to ensure we get our freedom. Being at Heroes Acre just lifts our spirit.”
KwaZulu-Natal ANC members have opposed Ramaphosa. In the ANC 2017 national conference, the majority of the province’s party members backed Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma for the position of ANC president.
She is now the minister of women, children and people with disabilities in the presidency, a position widely seen as a demotion from her position as minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, in last week’s cabinet reshuffle.
During last year’s ANC presidential race, when Ramaphosa was challenged by former health minister Zweli Mkhize, party members in KwaZulu-Natal rallied behind Mkhize.
But the mood among ANC members in Pietermaritzburg was different during Ramaphosa’s visit on Sunday.
They waved and sang Ramaphosa’s praises as the president’s convoy drove through the streets of Imbali.
In nearby Dambuza, where Ramaphosa addressed scores of ANC members, the police had to block the entrance to the hall as large crowds continued streaming into the venue.
Thulani Ndlovu, an ANC member from Msunduzi’s ward 21 in Dambuza, said he was disappointed that he could not hear Ramaphosa speak.
“When I arrived, police turned me away. They said the hall was already full. Like many other comrades who came to hear Ramaphosa, I ended up camping outside the venue. My only consolation is that at least he waved at us as his vehicle drove off.”
Ramaphosa told the supporters that the ANC remained the only organisation they could trust, and said most of the difficulties experienced by residents would be a thing of the past. “We are aware of the lack of development; we are aware of the electricity problems. The ANC is attending to all these problems.”
Flanked by ANC KwaZulu-Natal leaders, including the provincial chairperson, Siboniso Duma, and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, Ramaphosa started his tour of the province on Saturday on the North Coast.
Ramaphosa described the reception he receive in KwaZulu-Natal as “very warm and very positive”.
“Our presence here is about addressing challenges facing our people such as issues of water and unemployment. This is the beginning of our election campaign. It means that the wheels of our election campaign are in motion.”
