The ANC president says failing to carry out essential tasks could erode public trust
President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted that South Africans are losing faith in his party because of its failures in government as he delivered the ANC’s January 8 Statement.
He was speaking at the Moruleng stadium in the North West on the occasion of the party’s 114th birthday.
“We want to create jobs and economic opportunities for young people to use their energy, creativity and innovation to build their communities and their country.
“However, we must recognise that our own weaknesses and failures in service delivery as a party in governance and slow economic growth as well as the high levels of unemployment have demoralised and alienated many individuals in our country,” the president told ANC delegates and supporters on Saturday.
Ramaphosa’s ANC January 8 Statement speech
Ramaphosa emphasised that failing to carry out essential tasks could erode public trust and lead people to disengage from the government.
“We have to understand if we fail in the tasks that we have to carry out people will lose faith in us and walk away from us.
“We have to do everything in our power to show our people that we are working hard to improve their lives.
“We cannot blame our people when their question our democracy whether our constitution our economy and indeed our movement and the alliance really work for them,” he said.
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Ramaphosa stressed that his party has identified its weaknesses and is now working hard on their shortcomings.
The ANC president said there are six tasks that the party would like to focus on in this year.
“First, we must focus on fixing local government and improving basic services. Secondly, we must speed up economic transformation inclusive growth and job creation.
“Thirdly, we must wage war on crime and corruption and tackle gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster.
Watch Ramaphosa’s address below:
“Fourthly, we must build a South Africa that belongs to all through the national dialogue process as well as the thirtieth anniversary of our constitution.
“Fifthly, we must make organisational renewal visible and irreversible and finally we must build a better Africa and a better world if we execute these six tasks, we will be able to see progress.”
Electricity
Ramaphosa said ending load shedding was one of the tasks he had given in last year’s January 8 statement.
He remarked that he was pleased that this is now a reality.
“However, there is municipal load reduction that continues to disrupt daily life.”
The ANC president said he had met many people in communities who were complaining about power outages, but he clarified that they are being affected by load reduction, and not load shedding.
“Sometimes there are power outages because of illegal connections.”
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He said government must ensure that where there are power outages, the work to get the lights back on happens with urgency.
Ramaphosa emphasised that municipalities should be able to collect rates, saying they should strengthen their billing systems.
He added that they must also honour their debts to other state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like Eskom and Rand Water.
Water
One of the ANC’s biggest failures has been the inability to provide flowing clean water in municipalities.
He said government has 13 major water projects that are meant to boost water supply in the country.
“Last year, we elevated water security as a priority task for 2025.
“The department of water and sanitation has allocated R1.2 billion to improve water provision in the North West Province,” he said.
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Ramaphosa appealed to municipalities to ensure that those who cannot afford to pay for water and electricity are placed on the municipalities’ indigent list.
“The ANC also calls on all municipalities to ring fence water revenue, house holds that cannot pay for water and electricity must be placed on the indigent register.
“There is money set aside that is meant to help those that cannot pay for water and electricity,” he said.
The ANC president said communities must assist police in arresting those that sabotage the country’s water infrastructure.
He added that those reasonable for sabotaging municipalities wanted to sustain water tinkering.
Ramaphosa also indicated that over the next three years, government will spend more than R50 billion to repair water and electricity infrastructure.
Local government
Ramaphosa further said municipalities must be able to perform basic tasks like filling potholes and ensuring that traffic lights are functional.
“They must remove refuse regularly; they must keep communities clean and green and they must provide clean water and sanitation.
“Municipalities must also increase funding for infrastructure and municipal administration must be ethical, capable with professional management, insulated from undue political interference and capture,” he said.
Ramaphosa urged councillors to be closer to their communities and attend to their challenges.
“It is imperative that ANC councillors must reconnect with their with their wards and restore public trust.”
According to the ANC president,councillors who do not perform their duties or steal from the public should be removed.
He said municipalities also have a role to play in job creation.
“We call on all our municipalities to ensure that the local economic develooment plans reflect comparative advantages of each area and build partnerships with the private sector,” he said.
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