ANC’s renewal process not enough to persuade voters: Makhura

African National Congress (ANC) Gauteng Chairperson, David Makhura, says South Africans are not convinced of the governing party’s renewal process.

Makhura was speaking against the backdrop of the ANC’s dismal performance at the local government elections which saw an all-time low voter turnout.

Gauteng metros, Tshwane, Ekhuruleni and Johannesburg will still have hung councils just like in 2016.

Reality is sinking in for the ANC in Gauteng that its hegemony of governance in the province’s metros is over. But Gauteng ANC Chairperson David Makhura says the party will still have enough seats in the metros to form governments.

Speaking frankly to Nehawu delegates, Makhura says the party now has to engage other political formations to seek their support.

“We can’t be government with the people who are against the NDR just because we want to be in government. We will have several municipalities, we won’t have an outright majority to form a government, but we will be majority party in councils except one in Gauteng,” says David Makhura.

Turnout at all-time low

The voter turnout was at an all-time low in electoral politics as South Africans disengage and showed a lack of interest in voting. Makhura says the ANC’s renewal process was not enough to persuade voters to return to the party.

“The voter turnout says the people don’t see an alternative to the ANC but feel as if the party has not done enough on its renewal. The renewal calls for a total overhaul of the ANC. The majority of the people didn’t participate,” Makhura explains.

In another frank admission, Makhura says if the voters had decided to go to the voting stations, the ANC would be totally out of power in all the metros and other local municipalities.

“If the two-thirds of the people who didn’t show up at the polls decided to go and vote for another party, we would be talking another story now. We are very lucky as the ANC, we have a chance to do much more to tackle poverty,”  Makhura added.

The ANC is now licking its wounds across the country as voters have shunned the former liberation but also not entertained opposition parties.