By Zukile Majova
- Mbalula told voters that ANC supporters must remain hopeful, just like Kaizer Chiefs fans do every season.
- He promised jobs for young people, better grants and honest councillors to help the ANC win back support
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has urged party supporters to be as loyal as Kaizer Chiefs fans and as disciplined as members of the Zion Christian Church.
Mbalula was speaking during a campaign event at Freedom Park in Johannesburg ahead of a by-election in Ward 24 this week.
The ANC is under pressure after losing ground to the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which has been winning ANC-held wards in recent by-elections.
The party has admitted that many people are unhappy with its councillors, who are seen as corrupt and uninterested in serving communities.
Still, Mbalula asked residents to keep believing in the ANC and to have faith that its leaders will change for the better.
He told the crowd that ANC supporters should copy the discipline of ZCC members, who do not drink alcohol.
“The ANC people must also be like that. The ANC must be like Kaizer Chiefs supporters. Kaizer Chiefs supporters never dump their club even when it is losing. Have you ever seen a Kaizer Chiefs supporter leaving their team? Even if they lost yesterday, they are still holding onto hope that next week, we will meet in Durban,” said Mbalula.
Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa’s biggest soccer team, hasn’t won a trophy in 10 seasons but still has the largest fan base in the country.
Amakhosi lost to Orlando Pirates on Saturday but are expected to flock to Moses Mabhida Stadium in large numbers where they hope their team will win the Nedbank Cup in another Soweto derby.
Through this comparison, Mbalula admitted that the ANC has been disappointing but asked supporters to remain hopeful that the party will turn things around.
He made a number of promises, including turning the R370 Social Relief of Distress Grant into a permanent Basic Income Grant with a higher payout.
Speaking to a large group of young people at the event, he said the ANC would scrap the requirement for prior work experience when young graduates apply for entry-level jobs.
He also said the party would only field candidates who are serious about serving the people, not those who are only after money.
The ANC recently lost two wards in KwaZulu-Natal to the MK party, founded by former president Jacob Zuma.
In Gauteng, the MK party is also growing, while the Patriotic Alliance and Democratic Alliance are also targeting ANC supporters.
Even in the ANC stronghold of Butterworth in the Eastern Cape, residents in Thobotshane village had to raise money themselves to buy bricks and cement to fix their own roads because their ANC-led municipality did nothing to help.
The ANC is losing popularity. It dropped from 57.5% support in 2019 to below 40% in the 2024 general elections.
Pictured above: Fikile Mbalula campaigning in Johannesburg.
Image source: ANC
