Political leaders threw themselves into a last frantic round of appeals to voters yesterday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa doubling down on the party’s transformation commitments at a packed rally at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
As Ramaphosa made a last-ditch appeal to the party’s core traditional supporters, DA leader John Steenhuisen addressed supporters in Cape Town ahead of the party’s final election rally in Benoni today, while EFF leader Julius Malema roused supporters at an event in Polokwane, Limpopo. In Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa told his supporters that these elections were “do or die”, urging them to come out in numbers to vote.
With pre-election polls consistently showing the ANC falling short of the 50% majority needed to form a government on its own, Ramaphosa stressed the party’s commitment to black economic transformation, a minimum wage and a basic income grant, issues which the ANC has had to defend itself on against the backdrop of a low-growth economy and high unemployment, especially among youth.
This week’s elections are expected to be a close call and have attracted unprecedented voter interest, with 27.79 million voters registered. Of those, 42% are between the ages of 18 and 34, compared to 22% of young people in 2013. The IEC is expecting a high turnout — likely above the 66% recorded in 2019, with 70 parties contesting seats in the National Assembly.
Recent polls show the ANC may need to negotiate with smaller parties to form a government after this Wednesday’s elections, with most polls showing the party falling short of 50% nationally.
Yesterday, Ramaphosa dismissed polling that put the party below 50%, saying his party would surprise many on Wednesday when it wins with an outright majority.
Ramaphosa’s speech seems to have been directed at the party’s traditional base to come out in numbers to defend the gains made since the party took over government 30 years ago.
Opposition parties were making their own last-minute pleas to voters to ditch the party that has governed South Africa alone since 1994.
Steenhuisen urged DA voters not to be complacent and to vote for the blue party. Malema used his last rally in Polokwane to clarify the party’s policies — especially its controversial open-border policy, which has made the EFF unattractive to voters concerned at the government’s failure to deal with illegal immigrants.
The ANC's Soweto rally was attended by two former deputy presidents, Kgalema Motlanthe and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Former president Thabo Mbeki sent a video message that was played on the big screens at the rally.
In his message, Mbeki said he was unable to attend the rally in person after catching a cold.
While Ramaphosa dismissed both the EEF and DA as not viable alternatives, without mentioning the party names, his central message was that the ANC would not abandon its pro-poor and pro-transformation policies.
The president came to the stadium armed with a number of government policies that appeal to the party’s core supporters, such as the National Health Insurance Act and the minimum wage — which he said would continue to be implemented under his government.
With load-shedding having been suspended for nearly two months, a confident Ramaphosa promised to continue the “excellent work” to deal with the electricity crisis. “We have seen how Eskom’s power stations are being better maintained and breaking down less often,” he said.
We have seen how Eskom’s power stations are being better maintained and breaking down less often
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
In addition, he pledged to continue pursuing the ANC’s transformation agenda, affirmative action and broad-based economic empowerment. He committed his party to respecting human rights and protecting the rights of women, children and the LGBTQ+ community.
“The ANC will continue to promote and monitor employment equity to ensure that black people, women and persons with disabilities are represented in all parts of the economy, in all industries, in all professions and in all institutions,” he said.
He criticised opposition parties, such as DA and the ActionSA — which have vowed to scrap BEE if they get into power.
“As we work to make our economy more inclusive, it is deeply disturbing that some parties want to scrap Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment. In one particular province, I heard from many African, coloured and Indian business people how they are effectively shut out of access to contracts to provide any public or private service,” he said.
He promised to pump investment into job-creating industries such as mining, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, clothing, food and beverages, and steel. He did not provide further details.
“We are also going to spend quite a lot of money, billions, training people to get skills that can be best used in our economy because our objective is create quality jobs and to do so, we want to build industries, We want to localise so that more and more products are made here in South Africa rather than to continue to import products that can easily be made in our factories,” he said.
“We will support and protect those industries that employ many of our people by creating a conducive environment for businesses to invest. These will include industries like ... mining, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, clothing, food and beverages, and steel.”
He reiterated that his party was committed to making the basic income grant a reality. However, he said for that to be achieved, the economy needed to perform optimally.
“We will progressively implement a basic income support grant for unemployed people based on the SRD grant. With so many people still unemployed, we must continue to provide income support to those who need it most,” said Ramaphosa.
“As I’ve gone around the country, our people have said: ‘president we are grateful that during Covid the government introduced the R350’, and they say to me: ‘We want you to increase it, we want you to take it to R750’.”
“The basic income grant iyeza isendleni (it’s coming, it’s on its way) it will be implemented. It will be implemented because it helps our people because there is still poverty.”
The government has been spending billions a month funding the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant that was introduced at the height of Covid-19 to cushion South Africans who had either lost their jobs and those in the informal sector affected by the national shutdown.
The special grant is being disbursed to more than 11-million South Africans. This is over and above the old-age, child and disability grants being distributed to more than 18-million people.
There have been widespread calls for the special grant to be converted into a more permanent basic income grant.
Ramaphosa maintained that the implementation of the BIG will be heavily reliant on the performance of the economy.
“Now we say once our economy grows, we will be able to have the capacity to provide more and more support and assistance to our people. However, we have now increased the R350 to R370. We are saying yes we have heard you, but we will continue to see how the basic income grant that is wanted by the people can be introduced as we march forward,” he said.
Ramaphosa also provided more details on his big jobs plan, saying there will be a keen focus on localisation, industrialisation and beneficiation.
Calling on South Africans to give the ANC another chance at the polls this week, Ramaphosa said his government was determined to create jobs.
Every African who has got a contribution to make in South Africa must find a home here. This is the home of all Africans and all of them will be accounted for
— EFF leader Julius Malema
He said there had been several jobs interventions in various provinces including the popular Nasi Ispani introduced by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.
There were also plans to introduce manufacturing of electric vehicles in the already thriving automotive industry.
“We are now going to get into [the] industry of making electric cars. We are going to open up more and more industries and opportunities in renewable energy,” he said.
Ramaphosa said he was particularly touched by young people who were relaying the tough experiences they’ve endured in their unsuccessful attempts to get jobs.
“It was particularly painful to meet young people who are struggling to find employment. I was extremely touched by their determination to carry on, even after being disappointed time and again,” he said.
“Our jobs plan aims to address their needs. For young people, and for the many unemployed people in our country, we said we will create and sustain work opportunities delivering public goods and services in communities.”
The Just Energy Transition into cleaner and greener renewables would now be “balanced” while new export quotas will be investigated.
“We cannot continue to export all our raw materials, like minerals, timber and agricultural produce so we create jobs in other countries. We will build local manufacturing around our natural resources to create jobs here for South Africans,” he said.
Inside the stadium, ANC supporters were treated to a feast of music featuring Bucy Radebe, Dr Malinga, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Thebe, Boom Shaka and Ihhashi Elimhlophe.
The soccer pitch was filled with festivities as the youth in various South African cultural attire danced to mark Africa Day.
Members of uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association displayed their marching skills to cheers from supporters.
Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, Steenhuisen pleaded with DA voters to come out in numbers. “With only four days left until election day, we all need to remind ourselves that this election is not a game. It is a deadly serious business,” said Steenhuisen.
In Polokwane, Malema defended his party's position on their open-border policy, insisting it would be regulated and adhere to the rule of law.
“When we said the people of Africa must come into South Africa during Covid using ‘creative ways’ we were talking about those workers who were locked out of South Africa who had documents and the right to be in SA.
“We are not ashamed of that statement. Every African who has got a contribution to make in South Africa must find a home here. This is the home of all Africans and all of them will be accounted for.”
The red berets leader addressed a packed Peter Mokaba Stadium yesterday in his home province.
Meanwhile, Hlabisa called on IFP supporters to bring family, friends, colleagues, acquittance with them to vote for the IFP. “There’s no load-shedding right now, but we know it is coming back on June 1. South Africa cannot afford another five years of this failure that is the ANC government, otherwise what will follow is a disaster. I don’t even want to contemplate what the next five years will be if we don’t vote to remove the ANC,” Hlabisa said.
- Additional reporting by Penwell Dlamini, Andisiwe Makinana, Sisanda Mbolekwa and Zimasa Matiwane
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