Durban – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ruling party has restored dignity of the poor when it took control of the government in 1994, which, he said, invested in free service delivery.
In a podcast interview with the radio personality, Vanessa Marawa, Mbalula said the party has implemented more than 80% of its promises in the last elections according to their review.
“As we finish towards these three months, most of the projects will be done. Our accolades are load shedding and water. We have now moved a step further and envisaged this programme years back and in the next five years the problem of water and dams in terms of scarcity will we believe come to an end.
“As the ANC came into power with the government subsidised houses (RDP houses) was a major move. The citizens needed water, power and houses, but we realised that the state was in debt left by the apartheid regime when we came into power. The party faced a huge challenge and had to resort to structural adjustments. So, people need to know that if the ANC loses power, the ruling party will enjoy the good work started by the ANC,” he said.
He furthermore said the governing party chose the path of employment and redistribution which meant that they had to focus on economic stability without compromising on the basic needs of the RDP.
“We had to address it as we were inheriting the state-owned enterprises which had no value on the asset with we had to sell, while trying to restructure the state’s assets to address the question of financial capital to finance the RDP. Our economy was in a bad status, and we had to re-prioritise in order to ensure that we met our basic needs. Our policy of elevating poverty from our people had to be implemented,” said Mbalula.
He said the governing party struggled when it took over the apartheid regime until 1999 and in 2024, they registered two-thirds majority rule and the economic stability came with jobs created.
“On the other hand, the country was growing as it is now with six million people. And the interests of the people were increasing. While our policy had to continuously change and also adapt,” he added.
He said the country is currently faced with the challenge of urbanisation which forces people to move from rural to urban areas.
“One of the biggest challenges faced by the party is that townships are growing and you find new settlements everywhere. And those who are critics would never understand those challenges,” he concludes.
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