Ramaphosa says multi-party ‘sideshow’ will never beat the ANC

President Cyril Ramaphosa has labelled the multi-party agreement as a “sideshow” that will never remove the African National Congress (ANC) from power.

The ANC president was speaking on the sidelines of the party’s national working committee’s engagement with branches in Johannesburg.

“The gathering of parties that want to unseat the ANC is a sideshow to us. They are entitled to hold conferences, they will never be able to amass the support the ANC has.

“There’s no organisation in this country that has as much reach as the has, and that is why we are confident that we are working towards a victory.

“So, this issue of defeat approach that we would form a coalition is very far off our thinking. We are focusing on running a victorious campaign,” Ramaphosa said.

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Various opposition parties met over two days in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni to pen a MultiParty Charter for South Africa (MPCSA) ahead of the crucial 2024 national elections.

Parties absent from the two-day MPCSA meeting included the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Patriotic Alliance (PA).

‘Gang of losers’

Earlier, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also hit back at the parties, calling them a “gang of losers”.

“The upcoming election should focus on individual parties’ merits rather than a collective gang,” Lesufi said, emphasizing the need for parties to independently communicate their policies to voters.

“Each organization must stand on its own and explain what they offer to voters,” Lesufi said, also dismissing the grouping as “a gang of losers.

During their meetings, the coalition members outlined a set of policy agreements that demonstrate a shared vision for governance.

The charter says it committed to adopting its name to reflect its “intent to move beyond partisan labels and work collaboratively,” regardless of individual party affiliations.

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