With just one month until South Africa’s national elections, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa rallied party supporters in the Free State town of QwaQwa on Sunday, calling on communities to renew the ANC’s mandate to govern.
Addressing scores of enthusiastic backers packed into the Phuthaditjhaba Stadium for the “Siyanqoba Rally,” Ramaphosa urged the crowd to help build on the foundations laid over 30 years of democracy.
“We call on you to renew our mandate on May 29 so that we can continue the journey to the next 30 years of freedom and progress for all South Africans,” the President told the ANC rally.
Ramaphosa touted the party’s delivery track record since ending apartheid in 1994, while acknowledging more work remains. He vowed an ANC government would intensify efforts to create jobs, fight corruption and improve basic services if re-elected.
Sunday’s rally follows a flurry of similar campaign events by parties across the political spectrum with just four weeks until the crunch May 29 elections.
The ANC faces a stiff challenge from opposition parties aiming to make inroads, particularly in urban centers. But it hopes to solidify its long-standing dominance in rural provinces like the Free State.
Campaigning is unfolding against a backdrop of power cuts, stubbornly high unemployment and lingering COVID-19 impacts that have frustrated many South Africans in recent years.
Both the ANC and opposition have been locked in an intense battle to sway undecided voters who could prove decisive in determining the next national government’s makeup.
