The African National Congress (ANC) president, Cyril Ramaphosa has disputed the assertion made by some that living conditions were better during the apartheid regime.
Addressing party members during the wrap-up of the party’s 2019 manifesto review in the east of Johannesburg, Ramaphosa says progress has been made since the dawn of democracy.
“Our detractors have shown a lack of appreciation of what democracy has achieved under the ANC. They have resorted to distortions of facts and lies. The biggest being that nothing has happened since 1994 and that apartheid was even better than what we are going through now. And we all know that that’s a blatant lie. We are not going to be afraid, comrades to state undisputed facts, we are not going to be afraid to test what we said we would do against the reality that has unfolded. The facts themselves, from various independent institutions, including the recent census, confirm that there has been tremendous progress.”
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa wraps up party’s manifesto review:
This was part of the party’s process of reporting back on the commitments made during the 2019 election year. It also serves as a starting point as the party drafts its election manifesto for the 2024 elections.
Ramaphosa has praised the party for providing housing, land, electricity and education to some South Africans. He says while there is an energy crisis, it is an achievement to be able to provide electricity to the people.
The country has experienced rolling blackouts that have further crippled the economy and led to massive job losses.
Ramaphosa says the ANC has given South Africans assets.
“We’ve basically given our people assets like housing. We’re also giving out land. Our people are now able to farm, whether it’s a small farmer or a smallholder, and these are assets that the ANC government is continuing to give to our people. We’ve introduced electricity and as much as we’re going through challenges, 93% of South Africans have access to electricity and that in itself is a phenomenal achievement. When it comes to education, there are not many countries that I know of that don’t expect children to pay school fees at the basic education level.”
