South Africa: Punish the ANC, says opposition DA ahead of polls

South Africa’s main opposition party earlier this week called on voters to “punish” the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in a final push for support ahead of fiercely competitive municipal polls.

Democratic Alliance (DA) chief Mmusi Maimane is hoping to lead his party to a breakthrough result on August 3, as the country struggles with record unemployment and flat-lining economic growth.

“In a democracy, you don’t need to be loyal to one party forever; if that party betrays you, you get the chance to punish them,” Maimane said at the party’s final election rally.
“Just because you voted for the ANC in the past doesn’t mean you must vote ANC forever.”

The DA has slammed the ANC’s record, citing the country’s poor economic performance and a series of corruption scandals plaguing President Jacob Zuma.
“People of this country have been betrayed by this government,” Maimane told supporters.

“You vote for jobs and services, but get unemployment and corruption.”

The DA rules in the Western Cape province, currently holding the strategic metropolis of Cape Town.

The latest Ipsos opinion polls suggest that the ANC, which has ruled since the end of apartheid in 1994, could be under threat in 3 more major cities – Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria – at the election.

The radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party is also seeking to make a major impact in its first municipal elections. All three main parties held their final rallies over the weekend.

Zuma, 74, will have completed 2 terms in 2019 and is not eligible to run for president again, but the ANC could replace him ahead of the next general election if the party scores poorly in the local polls.

The change the DA is touting is the expectation that the ANC might lose 3 closely contested metros: the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on the Indian Ocean coast; Johannesburg, the country’s economic heart; and Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa’s capital city.

Zuma’s ANC, which controls the majority of the country’s 278 municipalities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public discontent since it led the fight against the brutal and racist apartheid rule.

At a massive final rally, the party made a last push for votes, stressing its anti-apartheid history and the legacy of former president and Nobel peace price winner Nelson Mandela.
“Millions of our people must vote ANC and enable their movement to continue improving the lives of our people,” Zuma told voters.”

Source: AFP