President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed the ANC will run its strongest candidates in the forthcoming Ditsobotla by-elections.
Ramaphosa led the ANC’s Letsema campaign at Itsoseng township outside Lichtenburg on Saturday, two months after the municipality was dissolved amid caucus infighting.
ANC’s Letsema Campaign aims to renew the ANC’s social contract with voters and get party members and local volunteers to address community challenges.
Ramaphosa lamented the state Itsoseng Township’s infrastructure and urged aspiring councilors to do well if elected and improve the living conditions of the residents.
“As I was coming in, we drove for quite a while, and I could see the potholes; the roads are having a very negative impact on the livelihoods of our people, not only in terms of societal issues but business and it impacts on investment because a town or a city that is littered with potholes can never hope to attract investors,” he said.
Ramaphosa was frank and admitted that most ANC-ran municipalities are under the control of criminal groupings that are syphoning money through dubious tender processes, citing Ditsobotla municipality as one classic example..
He made an undertaking that the ANC will field suitably qualified individuals as candidates on December 14, during the by-elections.
The majority of residents in Itsoseng are poor and jobless. They vented their anger and frustrations at the lack of basic services by protesting, vandalising and burning infrastructure and buildings including schools and shopping centres.
Things got worse for the residents when the Ditsobotla municipality disbanded in September because of instability and a lack of service delivery.
Ramaphosa was flooded with complaints by residents at various stops he made and the president pleaded for the ANC to be given another chance to govern the municipality, promising to do better.
76-year-old Maletsatsi Menyatswe, commenting on Ramaphosa’s visit, said the street was dug up by a service provider who left the project unfinished.
“I am old; I cannot step out of my yard because of that hole; I am pleading with the president to ask the municipality to return this street to its original condition,” she said.
Pule Moshodi said many young people in the area are not employed. “Our children are sitting at home with certificates; they cannot find jobs; I will be happy if the president can help young people around here to get jobs,” he said.
