We will be gracious in defeat should we lose Nelson Mandela Bay - ANC

Port Elizabeth – The ANC will bow out gracefully should it lose Nelson Mandela Bay, the party said on Tuesday.

But chances of it losing were slim, ANC provincial chairperson Phumulo Masualle insisted. The party was addressing media ahead of the municipal elections on Wednesday.

With 19 parties contesting Nelson Mandela Bay, the race to the finish line has been filled with promises as each party courted the voter.

Should the ANC not win, the Eastern Cape premier said, they would not stand in the way of democracy.

They were proponents of democracy, Masualle said.

No coalition talks

"Shall we be gracious in defeat? Certainly yes, because we respect the will of the people. But we are confident that the people this time around will again stand with the ANC in the majority here."

He said they were so confident of victory that talks of a coalition were not part of their strategy to run the metro.

They wanted to do it on their own, he told media.

Regional task team convener Vuyani Limba said they approached each election with one objective: to win.

"We are steadfast on election victory and talks about coalition pretend that we are involved in some kind of stokvel whereas our main objective is to win the majority seats in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro," he said.

The ANC was ready, he said, and supporters and structures were urged to go from door to door to ensure that everyone went out to vote.

ANC mayoral candidate Danny Jordaan said the party had listened to the people and the election depended on people's choices and not on the promises made by political parties.

Reconstructing history

"You can win all the surveys you want, the real people who count will speak tomorrow," he said.

He had no doubt that they would choose the ANC, he said, as no one else had a clear plan for the city.

The mayoral candidate took the time to again slam the DA's use of former president Nelson Mandela in their campaigns.

History could not be reconstructed and distorted, he said.

Those outside the ANC who used Mandela for their election campaigns did not understand how history worked, he said.

He made an example of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

"The people who hung Jesus could not come back and say we will hang you, but we believe in your teachings," he said.

The party also called on voters and supporters and party agents to be vigilant on Wednesday.

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This article first appeared on News24.