Port Elizabeth – Saturday’s launch of the African National Congress’s August 3 local government elections manifesto at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth is all about “mobilising the people”, ANC head of campaigning Nomvula Mokonyane said.
Enthusiastic supporters at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium ready for #ANCManifestoLaunch #SishodaNgawe pic.twitter.com/hecNQZCnd0
— ANC (@MYANC) April 16, 2016
By mid morning, ANC supporters continued to stream into the stadium but the venue was nowhere near its full capacity of 46,000 by 10am, the scheduled starting time.
“The most important thing that’s going to emerge out of the manifesto is about accelerating service delivery, making sure that services are more reliable, promotion of [the] local economy, and more importantly, the absorption of young people into the mainstream of our economy through work that local government does,” Mokonyane told journalists at the stadium.
Only the ANC had a programme which focused on action, she said.
“Many of those who are contesting the election speak more of the ANC. In the ANC we speak more about how we can work together with our on people to improve the quality of life, to grow the economy and expand.”
Responding to a question about whether the ANC was doing enough to woo voters in the Eastern Cape, Mokonyane said it was never enough.
“It is never enough, we are going to work until the voting stations close. Today [Saturday] is about mobilising people,” she said.
Mokonyane said one of the irritations of people was that elected people “weren’t seen as often post elections”.
“The other important thing is making sure we have a transparent and accountable local government. Those who are elected to represent our people continue and remain to be in touch, that is one of the irritations, is that people are elected and then we don’t see them post them being voted for. The ANC has made that commitment and only the ANC has been transparent about this elections,” she said.
African News Agency
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