Election bells remind ANC to ‘reconnect’ with ‘the people’

The ANC has embarked on an early election campaign, seemingly disguised as the Thuma Mina programme initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa at his presidential inauguration early this year.

The campaign, which kicked off on Friday, covered all the nine provinces, and involved the deployment of party national executive committee members to work with communities to do a variety of community-based tasks.

ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said: “The campaign is premised on the ANC reconnecting with the people through activities that are aimed at improving our people’s lives through immediate resolution of their concerns.”

Among the activities that would be undertaken in Mpumalanga were community cleanup, repair of water leakages at Majembeni and Garden City, ID and voter registration drive at Thulamahashe offices of the Independent Election Commission and the issuing of title deeds at Elandshoek, Nelsville and Valencia.

They also planned to hand over the Right To Occupy (RTOs) documents to property owners in rural areas under traditional leaders at Mhlaba Tribal Office.

In other provinces, the NEC members, provincial activists and local councillors are meant to hand over title deeds to community members, patch potholes, donate school shoes, blankets and sanitary towels, clean hospitals, conduct anticrime drives.

But in Limpopo, the programme will include the cleaning and extension of a cemetery, connection of water pipeline and renovation of burnt house.

The campaign is in line with Ramaphosa’s recent undertaking that the ANC would go out and connect with the people.

– ericn@citizen.co.za