The ANC in the Western Cape, eager to reclaim political dominance, has enlisted the support of party leaders from the Eastern Cape in a strategic collaboration.
Having last governed the province in 2009, the ANC has faced stiff competition from the DA in the Western Cape and is determined to reverse its electoral fortunes.
Recognising the importance of a united front, leaders from both provinces have joined forces to bolster the ANC’s presence and campaign efforts in the region.
Additionally, traditional leaders from the Eastern Cape have been brought on board to lend their influence and support to the ANC’s election campaign.
With the country’s May 29 polls looming, the collaborative effort signals a concerted push by the ANC to regain control of the Western Cape and strengthen its position.
The party has also set up traditional leadership structures in the Western Cape.
Led by ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi, the traditional leaders embarked on an eight-day election campaign which ends on Thursday, visiting communities and engaging with taxi bosses as well as Khoi and San leaders.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ngcukayitobi said both provinces were historically aligned due to the fact that the majority of African people in the Western Cape were originally from the Eastern Cape.
“This is seen in how people in both provinces have common interests, culture, history, heritage and similar practices,” he said.
For this reason, Ngcukayitobi said, it was high time that black as well as the Khoi and San people in the Western Cape were liberated from living in abject conditions due to lack of service delivery in their communities.
“The situation in this province [Western Cape] for African, Khoi and San, including black businesspeople, especially in the taxi industry, is devastating,” he said.
“This province is a two in one, the affluent suburban areas is where services are directed, but when we visited the townships all we saw was death, from animals to humans.
Only 16% of the overall population of the Western Cape are English and Afrikaans speakers and the remainder are almost equally divided among the Khoi and San and black people, which begs the question of how is it possible that a government that should be constituted according to the demographics is led by white people who have no clue about the circumstances of the majority of citizens.
— ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi
“The people don’t have water or stable electricity supply. You won’t find this problem in the suburbs.
“The taxi industry is deliberately and mercilessly being taken out of business as their vehicles are regularly impounded,” Ngcukayitobi said.
He said the treatment of black people, including the Khoi and San, required the ANC to respond immediately by ensuring it took over government in the Western Cape come elections.
The last time the ANC successfully won elections in the Western Cape was in 2004, when it received 46.28% of the votes compared with the DA’s 26.92%.
However, its electoral fortunes took a dip, with the DA receiving 48.78% and the ANC 32.86% during the 2009 elections.
Ngcukayitobi said the ANC had not been able to wrest back power due to non-voting by African people, leaving the decision on who took over power to the minority groups.
However, he said Africans including the Khoi and San had become conscious of the implications of not voting and were now gearing up to vote the ANC back into power.
“Only 16% of the overall population of the Western Cape are English and Afrikaans speakers and the remainder are almost equally divided among the Khoi and San and black people, which begs the question of how is it possible that a government that should be constituted according to the demographics is led by white people who have no clue about the circumstances of the majority of citizens.
“This includes their culture and traditions, and yet they rule over the more than 80% of people in this province,” Ngcukayitobi said.
With this reality in play, he said, the ANC had more chance of winning in the Western Cape than ever before.
Ngcukayitobi said during their engagements, Khoi and San traditional leaders expressed their frustration at the alleged lack of acknowledgment by the Western Cape government.
“That’s why there are no recognised traditional leaders at provincial level here.
“How they are being treated has allowed the people to reconsider their voting patterns and that’s why our presence here is an amplification of the work done by the ANC Western Cape provincial executive committee.”
Ngcukayitobi said if they failed to take over the government, they would definitely be the majority party leading a coalition in the province.
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