Charles Molele
The ANC and the EFF are currently holding separate rallies in Johannesburg and Soweto in a final push for votes ahead of the general elections on Wednesday.
Political parties of all stripes held their final rallies this weekend ahead of what will be Africa’s largest exercise in democracy, to ensure the voices of hundreds of millions of South Africans across the country are heard through the ballot.
This will be the biggest ever election after 1994 with a total of 48 registered political parties and more than 1,000 candidates courting voters across the political divide.
On Sunday morning, ANC’s head of elections Fikile Mbalula told supporters at the party’s Siyanqoba rally ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s keynote address that the ANC was ready for the elections.
Thousands of ANC supporters arrived at the stadium in buses, flashy German sedans and high-powered motorbikes.
Mbalula also urged thousands of ANC supporters – dressed in ANC’s green and gold colours to go out in large numbers and ensure a massive victory for the ruling party, which has been under criticism for corruption and fielding controversial figures on its candidate lists.
The ANC is seeking a two-thirds majority after poor results in the 2014 general elections.
The country’s third largest party, the EFF is also holding its final rally at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The EFF hopes to increase its majority in the 2019 general elections including its representation in Parliament.
Mapula Catherine Phosiwa (35) from Tembisa says she’s hoping the EFF wins next week’s elections so that her living conditions will improve.
She speaks highly of the EFF leader Julius Malema who paid lawyers to represent Phosiwa and 72 other disabled people from extension 45 in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, in their legal battle to fight the planned eviction from the RDP flats by the Human Settlements Department.
“Malema gave us lawyers to assist at court as the department of housing warned to kick us out. We won the case on 21 February this year. But we are still struggling with electricity for the past two years. If Malema wins, he will give us electricity,” said Phosiwa.
