The ANC is confident that the millions of born-frees who will be voting for the first time in their lives on May 7 will vote for the ruling party because “we represent their aspirations”, the party’s national executive committee (NEC) member and former youth league leader Pule Mabe has said.
Mabe, who is facing charges of fraud, theft and money-laundering for allegedly illegally soliciting funds from the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), says he will relish his day in court on May 12 to clear his name
“Where we’re required to appear before such institutions [of justice] we must do so. By doing that we are showing our affirmation of the rule of law; we are showing our respect of the judiciary in this country,” said Mabe. He told City Press the ANC’s “good story” about the 20 years of democracy would galvanise voters behind the ruling party and return it to lead with a majority.
Mabe said the ANC was the first party to admit to its shortcomings and it was doing everything to ensure voters were at the centre of its manifesto, particularly the youth.
He is confident that the party manifesto resonates with the desires of South Africans.
“The ANC is really focusing its attentions going to the ground to request from our people another opportunity to lead them and implement a manifesto that will speak to their desires.
“We go to them and humble ourselves and in areas where we might not have moved with the required speed [we ask] that they should allow us more chance because we’ve got a plan,” said Mabe, adding that the ANC was not concerned that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was stealing the show.
“We will exhaust our energies on making sure that we tell our story, we request from our people that which we have not done right and say what more should be done working with them.
“The EFF is a party of chancers. What else would you call them [EFF] – that’s chance-taking because we know what is scientific and what is not. We should never at any given time seek to manipulate the situation and come up with imagined solutions that are not tested. When we do that then our revolution is back-yard. Then we are producing an irregular revolution,” said Mabe.
He denied that ANC leaders were not acting swiftly on corruption, one of the major talking points ahead of the elections.
“We are the first party that will acknowledge where we have erred. We are the first party to have said those found guilty by a court of law must step down,” said Mabe.
Once a close ally of EFF leader Julius Malema, Mabe says the new party’s promises are like “pie-in-the-sky” and referred to the EFF’s elections manifesto launch last week as a “comedy show”.
“The leader of EFF is the number one chance-taker. He’s a commander of chancers. We can’t honour statements made during a comedy performance with a befitting response.”
He said the youth would see through the lacklustre election promises made by opposition parties and realise that their future lies with the ANC.
“They [youth] can’t be misled. The youth of this country are not blind to reality and we must never undermine the intelligence of our youth.
“We must never think that we can short change our youth with jokes. Our young people take themselves seriously and have had enough of people taking chances. They know that the ANC represents a better future for them,” said Mabe.
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