Statement of the African National Congress on the state of readiness for the 2016 Local Government Elections

1 August 2016

The African National Congress is going into the 2016 General Elections after waging a very successful and positive successful election campaign. The ANC has crisscrossed the length and breadth of our country. We have gone to every community – rural and urban, rich and poor.  We have spoken to communities about the significant strides we have made together and our commitments for the future. This election, like the ones before it, is about people. It is about the ANC renewing our mandate to continue creating a better life for our people. We have listened and understood the challenges and we continue to address them and have plans to do even more.

The 2016 Local Government Elections are heralded by many as being the most contested since 1994. This is said at every election and the ANC continues to approach each election with a singular objective – to win based on the confidence our people have in the work of the ANC. In every election our people disprove the myth that the ANC has not delivered, their lived reality is of the massive improvements that have taken place in their lives since 1994. In this election the key objectives of the ANC are to win the majority seats in all municipalities where the ANC currently governs. Secondly, to improve our support where the ANC is in opposition.

The African National Congress will be contesting almost all of the total of four thousand three hundred ninety two (4392) wards in all two hundred and thirteen (213) municipalities. We have entered the final push, our structures and all our supporters are urged to ensure that we go door to door on the 3 August 2016 to encourage all our people to go out and cast their vote. The ANC has organised transportation at various pick up points where voting stations are located far from where people reside.

Our volunteers, who have been the backbone of our campaign, must monitor voter turnout at voting stations during the day and come up with creative measures to ensure that we achieve the highest possible voter turnout. The ANC has over ninety thousand (90 000) supporters who have committed themselves to work as party agents in all our voting stations to monitor administration and voting.

The ANC has the utmost confidence in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the sterling work that the Commission has done in this and previous elections. We welcome all observers who support our process to free, fair and credible elections. It is in the interest of the ANC that the elections are free and fair and the will of the people is properly reflected in the election results.

We recommit ourselves to the Electoral Code of Conduct and call on all our members and supporters to ensure that they abide by its regulations. Members who break the code may be subjected to the ANC disciplinary processes and we urge all our members to resist any provocation under any circumstance. The ANC is neither undemocratic nor intolerant and thus we must continue to protect the right of all parties to contest elections and for the people to cast their votes in a peaceful environment.

The ANC extends its appreciation and gratitude to all our supporters and our volunteers who have worked tirelessly for a decisive ANC victory. We appreciate too the overwhelming support we have received from society in general, including a large number of personalities who confidently campaigned for the ANC, making their allegiance to the ANC public and urging others to appreciate the environment and opportunity created by the policies of the ANC.

This election campaign has proven once again that we are stronger when we work together. We must maintain this momentum of unity as we finalise our campaign and call all our people out to vote.

For us victory is certain. We are certain of victory because our people have shown us that they know the work of the ANC. Victory is certain because we remain committed to serving the needs of our people. We must encourage all our supporters to go to the polling station. We must demystify the notion that the ANC has already won. Every vote counts and every one of us must be counted.

Issued by Gwede Mantashe, Secretary General, ANC, 1 August 2016