Matuma Letsoalo
Former president Kgalema Motlanthe believes the ANC will win Gauteng with an outright majority, despite predictions by some political observers that its support will decline to just under 50% – forcing it to form a coalition government with opposition parties.
“We did not campaign for coalitions. We campaigned so that the ANC can get a clear majority in this province. That [coalition government] was not the plan. If it happens, we will take it from there. But for now, the ANC will win [the elections], Motlanthe told journalists at the Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg, where he casted his vote on Wednesday morning.
Last month, Motlanthe backtracked from comments he made in a BBC interview two years ago, in which he said the ANC would have to lose the election for the penny to drop.
The former ANC secretary general appeared a bit irritated when asked on Wednesday to clarify his initial statement, but admitted his party was facing credibility challenges.
“[Indeed] the penny has dropped. The leadership of the ANC is well aware that this [the 2019 elections] is the last chance [to improve their performance on governance]. I am sure soon after electioins they [ANC leaders] will attend to all the problems,” said Motlanthe.
While he openly campaigned for the ANC, Motlanthe refused to publicly declare which party he is voting for, saying his vote was a secret.
“You campaign for a party, you do all of that. You influence other people to vote for your party, but that doesnt take away the fact that at the end you stand alone at the cubicle,” said Motlanthe.
While he acknowledged the efforts taken by President Cyril Ramaphosa since he took over as president of the country to root out corruption within the public service, Motlanthe said ordinary people had the right to determine if Ramaphosa deserved another chance to lead the country.
