Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read

📷 President Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC’s 114th anniversary celebrations, as the party’s economic revival plans face scepticism amid visible voter fatigue.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s six-point plan to revive South Africa’s economy and restore functionality in local municipalities has been met with growing scepticism, as visible voter fatigue marked the ANC’s 114th anniversary celebrations over the weekend.

Addressing supporters at Moruleng Stadium in the North West, Ramaphosa outlined interventions aimed at fixing struggling municipalities, improving infrastructure and boosting economic growth. However, several empty sections in the stadium underscored what analysts describe as a steady erosion of public trust in the governing party.

Independent political analyst Sandile Swana, who attended the event, said the sparse turnout reflected a broader reality that the ANC is struggling to confront. “We are still caught up in the old glory days of the ANC,” Swana told Radio Islam International. “But we are denying the reality that the ANC is rapidly losing support and credibility.”

Ramaphosa emphasised the link between functional local government and economic growth, while acknowledging ongoing challenges such as municipal electricity load reduction despite the end of national load shedding. Yet Swana argued that much of what was presented was not new.

“A lot of the things mentioned have already appeared many times over in Auditor-General reports, infrastructure report cards and State of the Nation Addresses,” he said. “So it’s the same old, same old.”

Swana pointed to long-standing structural problems, including water losses, illegal electricity connections, infrastructure theft and poor accountability, which he said have been accumulating for over 15 years. “Ramaphosa was in the leadership during that period, and many of the people on that stage were in leadership when this damage was being done,” he noted.

Public outrage was further fuelled by remarks from ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who suggested that unemployed youth were to blame for joblessness due to a lack of effort in applying for work. Swana dismissed the claim as a deflection.

“Our records show clearly that the economy is not growing, the population is growing, and there are no job vacancies,” he said. “What is growing is the labour supply, not the labour absorptive capacity of our economy.”

The contrast between the anniversary celebrations and deteriorating service delivery was also stark. Roads leading to the venue were reportedly riddled with potholes, reflecting what Swana described as the ANC’s failure to implement known solutions. “The solutions are known, but the ANC does not have the correct calibre of comrades running its branches,” he said, accusing some leaders of being motivated by “criminal motives of looting the state.”

Tensions within the Tripartite Alliance were again evident, with South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Solly Mapaila notably absent. Swana said the SACP’s decision to campaign independently was “correct,” citing growing disillusionment with the ANC’s current leadership direction.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Ibrahim Daya and Sandile Swana.