By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) – South Africa’s main opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) Saturday launched its local government election manifesto vowing to win major cities that are currently being governed by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
“Let’s fire this ANC government that has stopped caring and hire the DA , the only one that can do the job,’’ DA leader Mmusi Maimane told over 20,000 supporters gathered at the Rand stadium in Johannesburg.
He said the ANC government, which has been in power for 22 years, had a chance to move the country forward, but due to corruption and mismanagement, it now feels like the country is moving backwards.
Maimane further claimed that the ruling party spent millions of public monies paying officials and politicians instead of providing services to poor people.
South Africa will hold municipal elections on Aug. 3. Analysts believe this will be a hotly contested election between the ANC and several opposition parties.
The DA, which governs several municipalities in the Western Cape Province, has fielded candidates in ANC strongholds of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Bay.
“This election is our chance to tell President Jacob Zuma and the ANC we are sick of empty promises,’’ Maimane said to loud cheers from crowds of supporters dressed in blue.
He claimed that municipalities run by his party have the lowest levels of unemployment and were the least corrupt.
African National Congress spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni strongly denied the oppositions claims of corruption and poor service delivery.
“The DA is determined to discredit the ANC,” she told Anadolu Agency via telephone.
Last week, President Zuma launched his party’s election manifesto in Mandela Bay municipality saying his party was best placed to bring meaningful change to people’s lives.
“Only the ANC, is better placed, experienced and determined to bring about more meaningful change to the lives of our people,” he said.
Zuma said his government had connected 86 percent of South African households with electricity, while 2 million poor households have been exempted from paying for electricity usage.
He said his party had built houses for the poor, provided social grants and pledged to create more jobs, improve health services and education.
South Africa emerged from decades of white minority rule in the mid-1990s.
