ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the party has faced many challenges in the last five years that includes the 2021 July unrest. Ramaphosa was speaking at the ANC’s manifesto pledge ceremony at the ICC in Durban on Friday.
The July unrests, which saw Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as the hotspots, resulted in over 350 deaths.
Ramaphosa says those who did not take part in the July unrest did so because they were defending the country’s democracy.
He praised South Africans who did not take part in the unrest saying, “We had had the unrest in KZN and Gauteng, but as much as the perpetrators of that unrest, whom we are still going to find and to prosecute because we can’t let them get away with the murder of people. They thought that they were instigating an insurrection and they thought that many people in our country would join in. As soon as people of South Africa realized what was under way, they said no, not in our name. We are going to defend our democracy.”
Manifesto launch
Meanwhile, the ANC will launch its 2024 Election Manifesto at the Moses Mabhida stadium later this morning.
This is the second time that the governing party launches its manifesto in the same venue.
In 2019, the ANC got at least 57 percent of the votes.
Ramaphosa is expected to address supporters around 11am.
ANC First Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane says they are expecting a full house at the stadium.
“The Moses Mabhida stadium can accommodate 75 000 people seated and 10 000 on the pitch. We have planned for the overflow and the beach will be of ANC colours and we expect the president to speak no later than eleven o’ clock.”
