ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula campaigning in Ward 57, eThekwini. Photo: @MbalulaFikile/X
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula led the ANC's door-to-door campaign in Inanda and Ntuzuma, northwest of Durban, on Tuesday, calling on residents to resist “fashion”. Jacob Zuma — and stay in their political “home base”.
The party's top leadership, national executive committee and alliance partner leaders have announced that they will vote 2 million of the 10 million votes cast nationally in 2019 to ensure the party maintains its majority beyond May 29. He will spend a week in KwaZulu-Natal, where he voted. .
The party faces challenges in the state from the Moonshot Coalition, which includes the Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and other smaller parties, as well as Zuma's party, which stole votes from the ANC in a by-election earlier this year. are doing.
Mr Mbalula focused on the north of the city earlier in the week, operating in traditional ANC strongholds such as Ntuzuma and Inanda, but his party now faces the possibility of losing votes due to the rise of the MK party. facing.
Mr Mbalula visited homes to urge residents to vote for the ANC, in Amaoti and Ntuzuma in eThekwini Metro Wards 57 and 107, where the ANC's vote share was below 50% in the November 2021 local government elections. A series of community meetings were held. .
At a public meeting in Amaoti, the ANC Secretary-General acknowledged the problems with toilet, water and electricity provision, but asked who would provide services to residents in the area, which had only been served by the city since 1994. He asked them to “remember” Tanoka.
Mr Mbalula said services were being undermined by “criminals” and called on residents to continue supporting “your organizations” to ensure continued development in the area.
He said people who stole money meant for community development and services were being expelled from the party or leaving the party.
The ANC's plans to expand the social grants system and boost youth employment through a post-election national service program were central to Mr Mbalula's interactions with voters.
He said that after the election, the ANC would upgrade the R350 social distress relief grant introduced during the coronavirus lockdown to a basic income grant.
Young people will be given employment opportunities through the South African Defense Force and other national agencies through the National Service Program introduced by the ANC government after the elections.
The ANC will also lift restrictions that prevent people over 35 from getting their first job, while experience requirements for civil service applicants will also be scrapped, Mbalula said.
Mr Mbalula said the ANC had “challenges” but people should continue to vote for a party that fought for freedom and was now trying to improve lives.
He said the ANC was “defending freedom” and urged residents to use their “power” to keep the party in power by continuing to vote for it and follow those who “don't believe”. I asked him to persuade me.
“As black people you know the truth and you must stay in the ANC. You must always believe in the ANC and stay in the organization. Do not lose hope in the ANC. Those who left the ANC are still They will come back, but they don't know where they will go,” Mbalula said.
Mbalula runs the only metro in the province, but ANC national chairman Gwede Mantashe has been deployed to the far north of KwaZulu-Natal, where he is expected to face a fierce battle with the IFP at the polling stations.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nombula Mokonyane is leading the campaign in the party's stronghold in the Midlands, which is also under threat from the rise of the MK party. .