We showed them who is the boss, Ramaphosa says about the ‘gang’ of other parties

Emerging from daunting national elections, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday conceded that the party had waged “the most difficult campaign” in the polls, then pledging to appoint members of parliament (MPs) and a Cabinet made up of “men and women who are visionaries”.

Ramaphosa’s undertaking, made at the ANC’s colourful Siyabonga (thank you) gathering outside party headquarters Luthuli House, the first since the poll results announced by the Electoral Commission (IEC), is the first signal that he is determined not to retain inefficient cadres, some of whom have been implicated in the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Said Ramaphosa: “It was difficult and they thought the ANC was going to lose power, but we emerged victorious because of the 10 million people who voted for their glorious movement.

“They thought we were going to get under 50%, but we have emerged triumphant because the ANC is back to govern. We had 48 parties who ganged up against us, wanting us to lose, some of whom were only established three months ago.

“We showed them who is the boss and we feel sorry for them because some could not even get to parliament, while we will be sending more than 200 delegates.”

The ANC vote decreased nationally from 62.15% in 2014, to 57.5% in 2019, while the ANC in Gauteng, which received 50.19% votes compared to 63.59% in 2014, “became our biggest challenge in these elections,” he said.

The Gauteng race was remarkably close.

“They thought we had lost the one they wanted most – the powerhouse of the country’s economy. They are now licking their wounds,” Ramaphosa told thousands of supporters who turned up in the black, green and gold colours of the ANC.

The ANC, he said, was “now turning into a new phase” and would appoint capable MPs and members of Cabinet who were capable. Ramaphosa said: “Now we have a clear mandate to do what our people wished for: jobs, houses and clean running water. In this phase we’re going to renew the ANC and cleanse it of all bad tendencies, making the organisation to be seen as the leader of society. We can look forward to great things in this new era.

“State capture must now be history, a phenomenon we must never get back to. The people have told us what kind of an ANC they want: an ANC with leaders and civil servants who work to serve the people not to line their own pockets with taxpayers’ money.

“They have told us that they do not want an ANC that is arrogant but an ANC led by leaders with humility who will always engage them on issues affecting them.

“They want an ANC that goes to Alexandra and Gugulethu but not the one running away from the people.”

He said the ANC had “no choice but to serve the needs of our people this time around”.

– brians@citizen.co.za

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