‘Abusive relationship’: Why people still vote ANC

Although many South Africans have run out of patience with the ANC due to inefficiency and corruption, those who support the party may heed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plea for more time to deal with challenges.

ANC supporters are like someone who would not leave an abusive relationship.

That is why they keep on voting for the party and get excited when they see their leaders, in spite of service delivery setbacks and empty promises.

The ANC seems to be the only party in South Africa that still has a strong bond with its grassroots supporters.

Because of its historic role in the liberation struggle against apartheid, people romanticise it. However, South Africans have deemed it not enough.

They believe the political freedom attained in 1994 was not the end goal: political freedom combined with economic freedom was.

The Nelson Mandela presidency should have been forthright with the reality that it wouldn’t solve challenges in the making for centuries in just a few years or decades.

Mandela’s government should’ve boldly told people the real truth: that achieving economic freedom would not happen overnight because that is a struggle which requires a different set of strategies.

Maybe the country’s political mood would be different today.

The electorate still believes the ANC is a party capable of waging the war for economic victory and solving societal issues the country is grappling with.

This is amid their dissatisfaction with how the ANC has progressed in addressing the challenges.

Unemployment is rife, poverty is persistent, 82% of Grade 4 pupils are unable to read for meaning, inequalities are widening and load shedding is the biggest frustration of many.

Those political parties which think the ANC’s support base will collapse because of these escalating challenges, may be in for the biggest shock.

People are still loyal to the ANC because there is no alternative to it. The chaotic coalition governments have worsened the situation.

Another fact proving most of the black electorate will never vote against the ANC is the 2021 local government election which saw people staying home on voting day instead of casting their votes for other parties.

Unlike other political parties, the ANC is the only organisation that has strong roots within black communities.

You can travel throughout the country and it won’t be hard to find an ANC branch. It is still the only party that people have access to on the ground.

The ANC still advocates for socialist policies. Voters receive social grants, even if they are a small amount; many have received free houses and those who haven’t, hope their turn is coming.

Some believe South Africa is not suffering from an ANC problem but from certain corrupt individuals within the party.

These corrupt individuals are benefiting from the country’s demise.

The ANC needs to renew itself and rid itself of these corrupt individuals who are using the ANC to access state resources for their own, and their cronies’, benefit.

Consequence management should be the order of the day – and that is the least the ANC owes its loyal supporters who can’t be patient for another 30 years.