By Dylan Bettencourt
- President Cyril Ramaphosa says anger over corruption and poverty pushed voters away and dropped support down to forty percent.
- Experts warn the party could disappear if it does not fix the cost of living for poor families.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally admitted what many voters already know.
Speaking at the party’s National General Council on Monday, he said the ANC is in deep trouble.
He blames two main things for the disaster: Jacob Zuma’s new MK party and the ANC’s own mistakes, The Citizen reported.
Ramaphosa says dropping to 40% of the vote is a major blow. It is the first time since 1994 that the ruling party has fallen below half of the national vote.
He says the MK party stole their power in KwaZulu-Natal and became the third-biggest party in the country.
But the president also looked in the mirror.
He says ordinary people are angry. They are tired of corruption, unemployment and empty promises about service delivery.
Ramaphosa says these failures are exactly why voters stayed home or chose other parties.
Although the MK party won the most votes in KZN, a coalition between the ANC, DA, IFP and NFP managed to keep them out of government.
But experts say the ANC is not safe yet.
Analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast says the party is on the edge of political oblivion. Veteran Mathews Phosa warns that support could drop as low as 26% if things do not change.
Ramaphosa promises to fix the mess by helping the working class.
He says the party will raise social grants and add more VAT-free food items to help families survive the high cost of living.
Pictured above: President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the ANC National General Council.
Image source: ANC
