The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng has come out with guns blazing after the governing party lost support in the country’s key metropolitan municipalities, saying it will not attend any of the ANC’s planned “victory parties”.
The league said in a statement on Saturday the ANC parties were planned throughout the country, with the main one set to take place at Luthuli House in Johannesburg.
“This is a metro [Johannesburg] we have performed poorly in as a party, the economic hub of the country and continent. In light of the devastating election outcomes, the ANCYL will not be attending nor organising any victory party, but will rather be engaged in a drastic programme of rebuilding and strengthening structures and our support on the ground,” the ANCYL provincial executive committee said in the statement.
The drop in ANC support, especially in the metros, “leaves little to be desired” and did not warrant a celebration.
Gauteng’s two metros, Johannesburg and Tshwane, were neck and neck as final results trickled in on Saturday. The Democratic Alliance led in Tshwane with 43.12 percent, with the ANC coming in at 41.21 percent before lunchtime. At least 97 percent of the of the 2716 Gauteng districts had been tallied before lunchtime. The DA was certain of finally getting more votes than the ANC in Tshwane. The country’s main opposition party has also wrested the Eastern Cape’s Nelson Mandela Bay metro from the ANC.
The ANCYL said the results of the local government elections on Wednesday showed it was time for an introspection by the governing party and its structures.
“Through the vote and low voter turnout, society calls upon us to introspect, go back to basics, and reconnect with our founding principles. It is in this regard that we will rather do organisational work and spend the time reflecting on where we have erred.”
The league said the low voter turnout, particularly in ANC stronghold areas, was a clear signal that “society is disappointed with us”.
“They would rather not vote than to vote for the opposition, as the ANC remains their beacon of hope. In honouring these supporters we will heed the call and fix our house,” the ANCYL said.
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