MBOMBELA – The ANC chairman, Mr David Mabuza has vowed to defend the people of the province and the revolution with his blood.
He made this solemn promise during the party’s manifesto forum at Nutting House Lodge on Friday attended by, among others, local business people from both the white and Indian communities.
“Mpumalanga is my home; I was born and bred here. These people are my brothers and sisters.
“I am not a coward and if I have to lay down my life, I will do so without blinking an eye,” said Mabuza.
“One day I will retire and I want to do so at a developed and a safe place, which is why it is important for us to work together to plant and nurture this tree that will provide fruit for all of us,” he went on.
Giving a brief background of where the country and the ANC stand, Mabuza said other countries that went through wars were still in dire straits and far from recovery.
“Unlike theirs, ours is a good story. And we owe it all to our founding fathers, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Nelson Mandela and many others.”
He said the country and especially the province was far better off than in 1994.
“The opposition and the media say the ANC has failed but the very same people aren’t telling our people the truth about what we have achieved so far.
“After 20 years of ruling, we have changed many people’s lives, transformed and brought development to many of our communities. We have closed the gap between the rich and the poor. We are not saying there are no challenges, but we ask everyone to work with the ANC to achieve everything we have set out to achieve,” he said.