ANC targets ‘coloured vote’

AS THE battle rages between the DA and its Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille, the ANC has launched a campaign to woo coloured and black voters in the only province governed by the official opposition.

Yesterday, ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula said that the party’s 2019 election campaign will focus on bringing coloureds and black South Africans to the “centre stage in economic transformation”.

Mbalula said that as part of their campaign, the ANC will capitalise on the water crisis and the DA infighting.

He said that the DA style of governing presented an opportunity for the ANC to take over the province.

“The infighting we have seen in the Cape Metro has taken needed resources away from the people. The DA itself appears to be in agreement with the ANC that the chaos it has introduced in the Cape Metro has caused service delivery challenges,” said Mbalula.

He slammed DA leader Mmusi Maimane for taking charge of the water crisis in Cape Town, as a political leader, accusing him of overstepping his powers and acting illegally.

“We saw the leader of the DA COLOURED DRIVE: Fikile Mbalula (centre) has launched a campaign to win the coloured vote. coming to the city to take over a city function of managing the water crisis. In essence, the DA national office has put the Cape Town Metro under administration, something that is totally illegal.”

Mbalula was speaking at a media briefing in Cape Town yesterday, where he outlined a plan for the ruling party to try and win back control of the Western Cape province during general elections.

“Transformation of the economy and work spaces remain at the bottom in the Western Cape. Coloureds and Africans in particular remain on the periphery of the economy,” said Mbalula.

He said that ANC supporters in the province were “reinvigorated” by the party’s “unity and renewal” theme, as championed by president Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The excitement that is there‚ the clean-up that is going on‚ the putting the past behind us‚ the vision to the future‚ the optimism that every South African is feeling‚ the enthusiasm that is making the opposition almost unemployed.”

ANC Western Cape secretary Faiez Jacobs said that the party would ride the “Ramaphosa euphoria” campaign to win back the support of coloured and black communities in the DA stronghold.

“I think we know and accept that there are many challenges in the Western Cape. But this theme of unity and renewal is going to be our overarching theme of how we unite our people, more particularly coloureds and Africans. This is our priority, we will also focus on organisational renewal,” said Jacobs.

The DA in the metro has resolved to pass a motion of no confidence in Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, one of its few senior leaders who has appeal in the coloured community.

They have also taken issue with De Lille’s attendance of an EFF-organised memorial service of the late Struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Former Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool was also announced as the man to spearhead the party’s election campaign in the province.

ANC acting provincial chairman Khaya Magaxa said: “As the ANC in the Western Cape, we would like to consolidate the new dawn that is emerging, the Ramaphosa era, so that we can have someone who is able to put whatever comrade Cyril Ramaphosa is doing at a national level into the context of the Western Cape.”

Magaxa added that they were confident and grateful that the “national leadership has been able to pick someone who speaks to our wishes”.

The DA took control of the Western Cape in 2009 when it won elections by 51.46 percent, with the ANC receiving 31.55 percent of the vote.