Johannesburg - ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa will this morning address a Cosatu women’s event in Thembisa as part of the last leg of the ruling party’s election campaign as the country heads to the polls for the 6th local government elections on November 1.
While on the campaign trail, Ramaphosa has been vocal about taking back all the metro the ANC lost during the 2016 local government elections, saying the party was working on its renewal and promising improved service delivery.
He has also dealt with disputes around councillor candidate lists in some wards across the country where communities have accused each other of corruption in choosing who to add.
On Friday Ramaphosa will take his campaign to the Sedibeng region in the Vaal, where communities have complained about high unemployment, sewerage spills, dirty water, electricity problems, a shortage of housing and other concerns.
Meanwhile, Cosatu called on all workers to go out to vote, saying that no one was expected to be at work next Monday and workers should not be bullied by employers in this regard.
Cosatu national spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said the labour federation was deeply troubled to discover that some local shop owners (especially of Pakistani and Somali origin) and loan sharks continued to confiscate people’s identity documents in many townships around the country when buying goods on credit.
“This is totally unacceptable conduct that needs to be resolved immediately. Many poor people will be denied an opportunity to exercise their democratic right to freely participate in the upcoming local government elections. We are calling on law enforcement agencies and relevant departments to act to clamp down against this illegal practice,” Pamla said.
Cosatu urged all its members and workers, in general, to vote for the ANC on Monday.
The federation’s central committee resolved to campaign for a decisive ANC victory in the elections after assessing the overall political landscape, the challenges and the progress made in fixing the country and improving the economy.
“The ANC has publicly acknowledged its challenges and weaknesses and is gradually working to fix them. People are not allowed to act with impunity anymore and law enforcement agencies have been given a mandate and the freedom to do their work without any interference,” Pamla said.
He said a vote for the ANC was a vote for progressive labour policies, commitment to job creation and decent work, rural development and the national health insurance scheme, among other issues.
Political Bureau