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Ramaphosa comes face to face with disgruntled Cape Flats residents

Cyril Ramaphosa addressing a crown
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ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa came face to face with disgruntled voters in the three biggest and oldest townships on the Cape Flats.

He engaged in what the ANC dubbed the final push to woo undecided voters. He was confronted with challenges ranging from crime, unemployment, housing shortages and the chaotic and sometimes dangerous Metrorail transport system.

Ramaphosa criss-crossed the townships of Mitchell’s Plain, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha in seven hours, but the reception was a tricky one for the ANC president, whose ratings in the trust indexes of several pollsters are the highest compared to other party leaders.

The ANC president rose to the occasion. He addressed the main elephant in the room during his stop in Mitchell’s Plain; crime and gangsterism. Ramaphosa says that they are dealing with issues of gang violence decisively.

Another bone of contention is high water bills, as a result of the installation of new water meters by the City of Cape Town. Some complained of renting houses for as long as 60 years and had yet to be granted title deeds. Ramaphosa says that people must receive title deeds.

“Money that was allocated for housing in this province was diverted to other projects in the Western Cape…This is not a Democratic Republic of the Western Cape, it’s one of our provinces and it should do what other provinces are doing, and give people title deeds.”

The ANC president promised to return to the Cape Flats shortly after the election to address a myriad of challenges that are facing these impoverished townships and informal settlements. He expressed optimism that his party will perform better than the previous elections.

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