Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
ANC big guns work W Cape
Deputy President warmly welcomed in Endlovini, Khayelitsha Our councillors will work – Holomisa
THE ANC dispelled any notion it had no heart for the local government elections contest in the Western Cape when it brought out its big guns to lead the final push to win over the electorate in Cape Town’s most impoverished areas.
ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was warmly welcomed by a large crowd that turned up for a rally at the Endlovini sport and recreation centre in Khayelitsha yesterday, where he gave a rousing address to party supporters, urging them to put their shoulders to the wheel in a final and spirited effort to win the province.
Ramaphosa’s appearance at the centre was part of an intensive final campaign weekend effort, which includes walkabouts, a mass rally at the Bellville Velodrome and addresses to religious groups.
Ramaphosa said he was distressed at the terrible living conditions of people of Khayelitsha and other places in the Cape Town metro.
He accused the ruling DA of “serious dereliction”, saying he was “appalled that over 10 years the DA has built no homes in a specific area where 20 000 people live”.
He also challenged the DA’s assertion that the majority of the city’s budget was allocated to poorer areas, saying the truth was more affluent areas got the bigger share of the budget.
In his party’s view, Ramaphosa said, it was the areas with big needs that should see progress.
The DA’s record of changing the living circumstances of the majority was “a depressing story of a total failure of delivery”.
Ramaphosa warned those who suggested the ANC had no stomach for the fight to win the Western Cape that its elections machinery and its volunteer staff for “the final push” was up to the task of taking on anyone.
“We are primed and ready in the Western Cape, and we are very strong in the Western Cape. The ANC should never be taken for granted.
“If they think we are down and out, they will be in trouble,” the deputy president said.
Ramaphosa also addressed recent problems in the party’s regional leadership structure, saying the issue would be handled within the internal structures of the ANC and all challenges would be resolved.
Addressing the violence that has plagued the election campaign in various parts of the country, he said the process had been “dogged by violence” and made a call “on everyone not to go around fanning the flames of violence”.
He also specifically addressed fears there could be violence after the final votes were tallied.
“Once the will of the people has been expressed, we all, even the ANC, should accept it,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa later addressed religious leaders at the OR Tambo centre, urging them to support the ANC’s campaign.
There Ramaphosa got strong support when he noted that one of the founding components of the ANC had been the church.
“We were formed by three components – churches, traditional leaders and educated people who had leadership in the church.
zenzile.khoisan@inl.co.za UDM Nelson Mandela Bay ward candidates have received a stern warning from party leader Bantu Holomisa not to “fold their arms” at council chambers once they have been voted in as councillors.
Yesterday Holomisa campaigned in the hotly contested metro, accompanied by UDM provincial chairman and mayoral candidate Mongameli Bobani, as well as Ward 18 candidate Ntombizodwa Ngqambuza.
Ngqambuza is a popular candidate for the UDM who recently joined the party from the ANC.
She served as a branch executive committee secretary for about a decade.
As Holomisa, his motorcade and throngs of party supporters criss-crossed the metro’s townships, residents could be heard talking fondly of Ngqambuza and how she had served the ANC tirelessly during her time there.
The UDM paraded those who had joined them from the ANC at each of the wards where they campaigned, including wards 18, 22, 24, 27 and 38.
Holomisa commended Ngqambuza for “bulldozing” the ANC in Ward 18, an area near KwaZakhele township.
Former ANC member and Ward 22 resident Neliwe Ntuli said she decided to join the UDM due to her unhappiness over the party’s candidate list process.
“My son was elected as the ward candidate, but somehow his name was dubiously removed from the list,” she said.
The UDM’s ward candidate in the area, Noncedo Hlutywa, said they had worked very hard to capture the ward from the ANC. “Now it’s all UDM here,” she said, adding that issues relating to unemployment, drugs and crime would be addressed head on if she was voted in.
Holomisa told the candidates not to commit the same mistakes the ANC had, and to rather champion the delivery of “basic” services to the people. These included housing and water infrastructure.
“When you are in the municipality don’t fold your arms. Make sure that the budget is not mostly spent in opulent suburbs. Change that and prioritise informal settlements and townships. Make sure there is a budget for these areas,” said Holomisa.
He also schooled the residents and candidates on government competencies, saying housing and water were the national government’s competency. Responsibilities differed between national, provincial and local government spheres, he said.
Holomisa criticised the ANC government for making empty promises, saying: “iANC ixoke kakhulu (the ANC has lied a lot).”
South Africa was a multiparty democracy, meaning if those in power did not honour their promises, “you have the right to vote them out”.
Holomisa, who was the deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, called on UDM supporters to demand a review of the country’s electoral system.
“You must demand to elect your own president,” said Holomisa.