Ramaphosa Concedes Party Failings as South Africa Elections Near
Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his speech at the ANC's 114th anniversary celebration at the Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg, on Jan. 10.
Photographer: Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images
President Cyril Ramaphosa lectured his African National Congress Party for failing to meet the basic needs of many South Africans as it prepares to face crucial municipal elections within the next year.
Ramaphosa, addressing a half-empty stadium with a capacity of just 20,000 in the country’s North West province, listed a litany of issues ailing the country, many of them acute in areas led by the ANC. They ranged from dysfunctional municipalities and a lack of basic services to chronic unemployment and rampant crime. The ANC relies on its so-called alliance partners — the South African Communist Party and many labor unions - for support.