The ANC’s juggernaut in the province is unstoppable

Sir,
The people have spoken! As all of us know, the ANC has won the election in the province with a convincing margin of 65,31%. This is a gigantic leap forward for the ANC, when one considers that in 2004 the ANC garnered 47,47%, while in 2009 we mustered 62,04% of the total votes in the province. Indeed, the ANC juggernaut in the province is unstoppable.
In this regard, we wish to thank all the people of this province who have again entrusted the ANC with the enormous responsibility of leading this province over the next five years, and, critically, to ensure that KwaZulu-Natal continues to be a paragon of service delivery excellence. The ANC has been able to quell the violence in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and ensure that in the province we now talk of peace as a permanent feature of the province’s social fabric. The ANC government in this province has ensured that there is no part of this province which has not been touched by the physical changes that have been brought by our government.
The challenge that the ANC is dealing with decisively – to fight the cancer of corruption – was used as proof that the ANC was failing to lead this country. Our cadre of volunteers visited every nook and cranny of this province during our door-to-door campaigns. In more ways than one this election is a victory of the collective voice of the masses of our people, who emphatically put paid to the popular narrative that the ANC enjoys a deficit of trust. It is an affirmation of what we in the ANC have always known – the ANC is rooted in the struggles of our people. The people and the ANC are one, connected by an inseparable bond which cannot be broken just because some among us wish it to be. Comrades, friends and compatriots: we are humbled by the trust that our people have in our movement. The fact that our people have again chosen the ANC to lead our government speaks of the unshakable confidence that they have in the ANC. Once the election dust has settled, we must prove that the ANC’s closeness to the people is embedded in our movement’s DNA, whether there are elections or not. We believe that the challenges facing our province require all the parties to work in unison, understanding that it is only when we work together as a collective that we can overcome the challenges facing this province. In this regard, we wish to congratulate all the political parties which took part in the elections. All the political parties which took part in the elections have done South Africa and the province proud by showing, in practical terms, the vibrancy of our constitutional democracy.
Before I conclude, allow me to thank all the ANC members who worked around the clock to ensure a decisive victory for the ANC in the province and in the country.
We also want to thank all the people of KwaZulu-Natal who have understood that the differences of political opinions do not mean that we are enemies. Because of the culture of political tolerance practised by our people, peace and stability in KwaZulu-Natal are no longer the exception but the way of life.
Finally, comrades, compatriots and friends: we need to use this victory as a springboard to completely liberate the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Our task as the ANC will only be complete in this province when the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal is liberated. In this regard we need to go back to our communities and mobilise them to ensure that even those who did not vote for us cast their votes for the ANC in the forthcoming polls. Our people have entrusted us with the clear mandate to consolidate and increase service delivery in our province. The ANC lives, the ANC leads!
Senzo Mchunu – KZN ANC Chairperson