South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has told residents of the northern town of Seshego not to vote for smaller parties who claim “to be a government-in-waiting.”
Seshego is the home town of Ramaphosa’s political rival and opposition Economic Freedom Fighters’ leader Julius Malema who comes from the Limpopo Province.
Addressing the people at a rally in Malema’s territory on Tuesday, Ramaphosa discouraged the voters from voting for “smaller parties who say they are going to lead” the country.
Malema has famously regarded his party as South Africa’s government-in-waiting ahead of the 8 May national polls.
But Ramaphosa threw water on this claim, telling his African National Congress supporters that only the current ruling party had the know-how to govern South Africa for the benefit of all.
“No other smaller party has the experience to take the country forward,” Ramaphosa said, as he met frustrated voters who complained of the lack of service delivery in the area from his government.
Limpopo is a known ANC stronghold. In the last elections it won 78.6 percent of the vote, while the official opposition, the EFF, trailed with 10.74 percent.
Party insiders claim that this time around Malema’s EFF has a real chance of reducing the ANC’s majority and is making inroads in the province.
NM/jn/APA