No postponement? Ramaphosa says ANC is ready for local elections

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hinted that the upcoming local government elections may not be postponed.

Addressing a by-election campaign in Ward 6 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday, Ramaphosa said as the ANC they believed that the upcoming local government elections should go ahead, adding that the ruling party is ready for them.

He said, however, that the polls would take place under difficult conditions due to the Covid-19 virus, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

He was speaking in an apparent reference to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which has been calling for the polls to be postponed until 2024.

The president was expected to address another by-election campaign to be held on 21 April in Hammersdale.

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Speaking at eThekwini, Ramaphosa said there were those who wanted the elections shelved.

This left some with questions as to whether the ANC was using the regular by-elections to campaign for the undeclared local government elections.

While the EFF had been calling for the postponement, the Democratic Alliance (DA) – the second biggest party in the country – also had asked for the polls not to be postponed.

The president also attended ANC KZN provincial executive committee meeting in Durban.

It has been rumoured that EFF leader Julius Malema is lobbying the ANC to postpone the 2021 elections.

Malema argued the election would be unfair to the voters and political parties because there won’t be sufficient time to campaign.

He said holding the polls would be unconstitutional as that would violate political parties’ right to campaign.

ericn@citizen.co.za