Ramaphosa encourages better governance and good service delivery
(The Post News)- The African National Congress (ANC) president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has, on Saturday, January 11, made a call and urged deployees of his party that are in the Government of National Unity (GNU) to use their positions in government for the purposes of service delivery and transformation. He also emphasised that they have to recognise the “depth of dysfunction” that needs to be put right amongst party structures.
The call was made to deployees to “move with speed” and act with confidence in their respective duties allocated to them, further saying this is not the time to be tentative or doubtful in working and policy implementation.
He stated that the movement must thus guarantee that the tactical initiative obtained by the formation of the ANC-led GNU is successfully leveraged to clear the way for a strategic advance to the benefit of the motivating forces and all South Africans.
Ramaphosa made these remarks during the ANC’s January 8 address at Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha, which was the first delivered by a party president without outright legislative support.
The January 8th, 2025, statement was hosted differently from the ANC norm and tradition, as they had to hold it at a local stadium in Khayelitsha, Cape Town; this is as opposed to the big stadiums all over the country. This time, the ANC did not bus in supporters from other provinces. The party also had to provide mobile toilets, water, and areas of shade for those who had to dodge the heat due to the rudimentary nature of the facilities at the sportsground.
Addressing community members, party members, and supporters, Ramaphosa detailed how the outcomes of the 2024 general elections were diagnosed by the ANC NEC as a “strategic setback” due to the loss of ruling majority in some provinces and nationally. He attributed the election losses to the economy’s constant decline, which has an impact on employment rates, social reproduction, poor basic services and capability shortages, a lack of ethical and responsive governance, and the ANC’s organisational deficiencies and compromised brand. He added that many of their loyal supporters and voters chose to vote for other parties or abstained from voting altogether for a variety of reasons.
He stated that the extent and depth of the electoral loss indicate an organisation that has lost significant support and public confidence, and that while it may be an unpleasant reality for the ANC to accept, recovery lies in embracing the depth of dysfunction in their structures, as well as among their members and leadership.
Additionally, he spoke quite strongly on how the party’s renewal is currently necessary and a priority. Telling the attendees that it remains the number one priority, while in the process fixing socio-economic issues, issues of service delivery, and strengthening economic growth. According to him, the results of 2024 demonstrate that they are in a crisis and that the ANC must either adapt or perish.
Moreover, he asked all ANC members to be tenacious in their work and urged all structures to make sure that the renewal process focuses on repairing the governance approach and the ANC itself in order to provide citizens with better services and lives.
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