25% of ANC LGE candidates are youngsters: Ramaphosa

African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa says young people will be a major factor in the party’s local government representation, with at least a quarter of the local government election candidates being youngsters.

He was speaking ahead of the ANC’s release of its election manifesto on Monday.

Ramaphosa address to the media ahead of ANC’s manifesto launch tomorrow:

The ANC President says 90 percent of those who registered as first-time voters during the registration weekend earlier this month were young people. South Africans go to the polls in the local government election on November the first. Ramaphosa says the youngest ANC elections candidate is just 20 years of age.

“In choosing candidates for the next term of local government, the ANC was determined to deepen community participation,” Ramaphosa said.

Speaking about fielding young candidates, he said, “This for the African National Congress and indeed for our country as a whole is a phenomenal achievement.”

The ANC leader says 46 percent of the party’s local government candidates are women.

Ramaphosa on women candidates, ” This confirms the ANC’s commitment to gender equality and the achievement of a non-sexist society. While this in itself is a great achievement, we will not rest until at least half of all ANC candidates and at least half all ANC representatives at the public level in all spheres of government, are the women of our country.”

Ramaphosa also paid homage to the late party struggle veteran, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who would have celebrated her 85th birthday today.

Ramaphosa says Madikizela-Mandela remains a leading light for the ANC.