Programme Director: Deputy Chair
ANC Chaplaincy nabe fundisi bonke
Provincial Executive Committee Members
National Executive Committee deployees
Sarah Baartman REC and other RECs
The Leadership of our Leagues
The leadership of our Alliance Partners, SACP, Cosatu and SANCO
Iinkosi zonke zezwe lakowethu
Santaco leadership
Members and Volunteers of the ANC
Our supporters, and the people of the Eastern Cape at large
Molweni eSarah Baartman, Molweni ePhondweni!!!
Yesterday the world celebrated International Women’s Day. Allow me to say forward with the emancipation and achievements of women, forward! Wathint’ uMama, Wathint’ imbokodo! Thank you. This is the only region in this province named after a woman. manifesto launch was preceded by plethora of activities to celebrate international women’s day. “ imagin a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrate. Together we can forge women’s equality. collectively we can all #inspireInclusion.” Let’s all celebrate women’s achievements. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to drive gender parity. IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. “Count her in, invest in women, accelerate progress” this in the theme.
Comrades it is good to see all of you beautifully dressed in ANC regalia, jubilant, energised, and showing our common love and support for our glorious movement, the African National Congress. Anibahle ezweni ingakumbi ooMama nama younger, younger. Ndiyayisizela lemibutho icinga izokoyisa i-ANC kolunyulo luzayo ingenabo ooMama nama younger, younger anamandla njengalana e-ANC.
Maqabane i-African National Congress ngumbutho wethu sonke owasikhulula kumakhamandela engcinezelo. Ngumbutho onoxanduva lokusinika ubomi obungcono. I- ANC ikwa lilifa esashiywa nalo ngoo Khokho bethu no Tata uNelson Mandela, ooChris Hani, ooMama Winnie Madikizela Mandela nooTata uOliver Tambo.
All of us as we are gathered here in our thousands are showing our political opponents that the strength of the ANC lies in the masses of our people. Collectively as members and supporters, we are the mighty force behind the ANC. As we face the upcoming elections which have been dubbed as the most difficult that our movement will face, we must remember the words of the Lord in Isaiah 54 verse 17, where he says No weapon formed against thee shall prosper.
Indeed, there are many weapons formed against the ANC. We have political analysts who are boldly predicting that nationally the ANC will go below 50 %. We have our old political foes, such as the Democratic Alliance, Action SA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus and others that are making deals to dethrone the ANC from power.
Lately, we have seen the mushrooming of political parties all with a common purpose of disrupting the ANC from its revolutionary task of building a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, and prosperous South Africa.
We have a maturing democracy, and we must appreciate that. That is what Mama Winnie Mandikizela Mandela, Mama Albertina Sisulu, Mama Sophie de Bruyn, Mama Lillian Diedericks and other activists fought and sacrificed their lives for. But I want to warn the citizens of this province to be vigilant of chance-takers who want to use your votes for self-benefit. In 2019 only 48 political parties took part in the elections. The IEC reports that for the upcoming elections, a whooping 350 political parties are registered to take part in the elections. Ixakiwe i- IEC nokuba izokuyenza njani i-ballot paper, kuba wonke umntu ufuna ukuphatha. Ze nilumke bantu bakuthi ningaphakwa inkunzi iivoti zenu ngo nqevu abazokunithembisa izulu nomhlaba.
As the ANC leadership in the Eastern Cape, we are here to tell you comrades that all the registered 350 political parties including, analysts and independent candidates will eat humble pie after the May 29 elections. We say so because as members and supporters of the ANC in this province, we will come out in our numbers in rural villages, townships, and towns on May 29 to vote for the ANC to defend our hard-won freedom and advance a better life for all. Abayiqondi ukuba yi-ANC enamandla. Victory is certain!
Mandiyiphinde ngesiXhosa lendawo izokuvakala. Zonke izixhobo ezilolelwa i-ANC zizokugobela ezandleni zabanikazi bazo. Namhlanje masivumelaneni ngazwi linye ukuba ngee voti zethu sizakuba likhakha, ivili no mkhonto wokukhusela ulawulo lwe ANC kweliphondo nakwi lizwe jikelele. Sikwenza oko ngenxa yemisebenzi emihle esele iyenzile i-African National Congress kuleminyaka ingamashumi amathathu yenkululeko.
Comrades, and friends in less than 81 days, our country will hold the national and provincial elections which will give our people an opportunity to set a new mandate for government.
I am certain we all witnessed the highly successful launch of the ANC Manifesto which took place in Moses Mabhida Stadium last month. We are bringing that same Manifesto, but with a provincial tone so that citizens of this province can know what to expect from the government of the mighty ANC which will govern this province after the May 29 elections, kuba iANC iyabuya, uzokudana uSathana!
We have chosen to launch the provincial leg of the ANC Manifesto here in the home of our global icon for restorative justice uMama Sarah Baartman, whom the colonialists had kidnapped, completely dehumanised and objectified – even post her death. We fought for years to get back her remains: and this led to her ultimate repatriation, where she now lies in Hankey. When reflecting on how African people were stripped of all dignity and rendered undeserving of the most basic human rights, we have people like Sarah Baartman in mind.
We are here to celebrate the struggles that our people waged before the modern political formations were formed, through wars of resistance. Nine wars of resistance took place in our province and six of those wars were waged in this region. This is the home of some of the bravest warriors such as Makhanda ka Nxele, Chief Dawid Stuurman and many others. Right next door is the burial site of Inkosi uChungwa. We are here to immortalise them as we report that we are still on course in the pursuit of a better life for all our people. Sizokushukumisa amathambo wazo zonke ezo zinyanya, kuquka no Comrade Zamuxulo Peter no Comrade Scara Njadayi.
Comrades the ANC has led in government for the past six administrations. We have demonstrated that we have the capacity, knowledge, and experience to change the lives of our people for the better and we made tremendous progress in this regard. Life in the Eastern Cape is better than it was before 1994, that is an undisputable truth.
But we are not perfect, mistakes have been made in this journey of our revolution that have disappointed our people such as the pace of developing our communities. We continue to learn from our mistakes, we continue to correct our wrongs and we continue to improve our performance in government. This is the essence of the renewal project of the ANC. Members and supporters have said we must fix wrongdoing in the ANC to rebuild trust in the movement and that is what we have done and will continue to do, ukuze i-ANC ibelivumba elimnandi ebantwini.
Renewal is not easy comrades. As you can see those who do not want to be corrected when they do wrong things are leaving the ANC. Uhambo lwabo alusothusi kuba bazelwe ikhona i-ANC, ayizokuphela ngokuhamba kwabo.
What is vividly clear though is that they are leaving because they no longer hold positions in the ANC. Some even dare to question the wisdom of ANC branches for the decisions they have taken to elect our current national leaders. If people feel like they have a birthright for the ANC to send them to Parliament, to be lifetime Presidents, Premiers, Ministers, Mayors, and Councillors, they are in the wrong organisation. Akuqhutywa njalo kwi ANC.
Lomkhuba uqala kwalapha kwi branches, lithi ilungu xa lingavisisani no Ceba athathe isigqibo sokuba elo lungu malingamafumani kwimisebenzi yasekuhlani. Forgetting that is also an ANC member in good standing. Nditsho kuni bogxa bam, masingachithi umbutho ngenxa ye feelings zethu, ayoyethu i-ANC, thina sizicaka zabantu be ANC.
Bayabhenceka ngoku abantu ukuba bebeze ezikhundleni apha kwi African National Congress, bebengazanga ngeentliziyo ezihlambulekileyo zokukhonza i-ANC nabantu beli lizwe.
Comrades, we must take valuable lessons from distinguished leaders who led our glorious movement in the past. When President Oliver Tambo handed over the reins of the ANC Presidency to President Nelson Mandela, he did not open or campaign for another political party. When President Nelson Mandela was replaced by President Thabo Mbeki, he continued to campaign for the ANC. When President Thabo Mbeki was replaced by President Jacob Zuma, he did not open or campaign for another political party that contested elections against the ANC. Mandiniyeke kulondawo, ngelithi ziqwalaseleni izinto maqabane.
Xa befika aba bebezinkokheli namalungu e-ANC besithi votelani mitsha kufuneka nithi mabanixelele ukuba i-ANC yenzeni, lento beyijikela emva kokuba ibakhele lamagama banawo namhlanje.
Okwethu thina basathanda i-ANC kukunika i-ANC isidima sayo ukwenzela abazayo emva kwethu bayifumane isomelele, iyinqwelo ethembekileyo yokunika abantu ubomi obungcono.
Today, we once again come before you the people of our province to humbly ask you to continue placing your confidence and trust in the ANC in the upcoming elections. Together we have climbed so many hills and conquered them. We defeated apartheid, ended centuries of colonial and apartheid rule, and established a new South Africa founded on a progressive constitutional democracy with equal freedoms and rights for all. But our revolutionary journey is not complete.
When we took the reins of government in 1994, we inherited a fractured Eastern Cape society. We had a legacy of discrimination and deprivation that left the majority of our people on the periphery – denied basic rights, and lacking access to education, healthcare, water, electricity, and decent housing opportunities. Real jobs were reserved for a few based on colour, while the majority of black people were confined to unskilled jobs. However, in the last 30 years, we have worked tirelessly to restore the dignity of our people. The seamless progress we have made is undeniable, it is there for everyone to see.
This is exactly how the last State of the Province Address for 2024 was delivered. We articulated our gains, mapped out current challenges and offered practical solutions to overcome them.
Today we are presenting to you what the future will look like after the May 29 elections under the ANC-led government in the Eastern Cape.
The well-thought, bold and practically implementable ANC Manifesto directs us to focus on six priorities that are critical to speeding up transformation and improving the lives of the people of South Africa. Whilst fully supporting all 6 priority areas that the ANC is going to focus on in the next 5 years. In the Eastern Cape, having learnt from the past we shall focus more on investing in our youth and also on attracting investments and trade.
PRIORITY 1. The Jobs Plan
Comrades, priority number 1 is the Jobs Plan in the ANC Manifesto. In our recent State of the Province Address, we accounted for the achievements of job creation activities in our province, both the half a million EPWP work opportunities, thousands of jobs from procurement of major public goods and services and most importantly the 250,000 permanent jobs we created with the private sector in the past five years. One of the fundamental lessons we have learnt is the job creation capabilities of the private sector – if they are provided with an enabling business environment.
Therefore, in the next term, the ANC-led government in the Eastern Cape will enhance its focus on the following:
We will continue to use the state procurement capabilities, delivery of public goods and services, and use state resources to invest in large infrastructure projects that create more job opportunities.
We will increase our support to SMMEs, and co-operatives based in townships and villages to boost entrepreneurship, market access, and access to needed finance, training, mentorship, and business support services. We believe this will ease the pressure on the social security budget and improve our people’s livelihood.
We will mandate all our sector SOEs in the province to partner with the private sector to create an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs. As a province, we have not done very well in Partnering with the private sector, we have realised that we need to refocus our attention on building strong partnerships with the private sector because of the millions of our people currently under private sector employment. We must continue to create that enabling environment for the private sector to do more.
We will also continue to promote the prioritisation of designated groups in job creation such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities. We are relaxing the 35 years of age for jobs because many people over 35 years also deserve to work and feed their families.
PRIORITY 2. Industrial Development and Infrastructure Investment
Comrades, priority number 2 in the ANC Manifesto is Industrial Development and Infrastructure Investment. Our efforts to industrialise in our province are visible, with two well-functioning SEZs, Coega and ELIDZ, together with Industrial Parks strategically located within major townships in our province, viz, Dimbaza, Fort Jackson, Mthatha, Butterworth, and Komani. This economic infrastructure was built to activate the township economies and promote youth development and women enterprises. Currently, this infrastructure accounts for more than 20,000 jobs created by businesses located in them. As stated in the State of the Province Address a lot of lessons have been learnt and we have realised that there could be a lot more jobs created through industrialisation.
Therefore, the next ANC-led administration will do the following:
We will review the incentives offered in this industrial infrastructure to create better and more attractive instruments to attract more labour-intensive industries that can create jobs in our province. The Auto Sector is committed to our province with more jobs earmarked to be created by OEMs such as Stellantis SA, VWSA, ISUZU, BAIC, and Mercedes Benz after the elections.
We will invest in large-scale infrastructure within our SEZs and industrial parks to solve constraints of poor utilities, poor logistics, poor connectivity, and the general look of strategic economic development nodes in our province. Our people must expect more jobs in the construction sector as new factories, roads, and schools will be built by the ANC-led government in all corners of our province. For all businesses that will receive government contracts in the Eastern Cape, we expect them to create jobs for the citizens of this province.
We will enhance our SMME support instruments to support township businesses that are owned by women, youth, and people with disabilities. These businesses will include co-operatives, panel beaters, hawkers, hair salons and general businesses that operate within township and rural areas. These businesses are the lifeblood of rural and township economies.
We will continue to support businesses based in the SEZs and industrial parks that produce products that can be exported to the continent, taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, opportunities presented by BRICS and export opportunities presented by access to the Middle East.
PRIORITY 3: Invest in People.
Comrades, priority number 3 in our Manifesto is Investing in our People. The future of our province belongs to our young people. At the moment, a lot of our young people remain unemployed and unemployable. In our State of the Province address, we reported that in this term that is ending, we facilitated funding from 13 Setas which resulted in the training of more than 29,000 young people in various skills programmes.
Young people of this province accessed Higher Education in their numbers because of tried and tested ANC policies and programmes. In the past five years, the Eastern Cape provincial government has given bursaries to more than 5000 young people and also paid the historic debt of more than 6000 students so that they can graduate from our universities. As a result, many of them are now first graduates in their families.
After the elections, working with our partners we will expand access to historical student debt to cover students in TVET colleges. Ezi ngxaki ze fees zifunyanwa ngabafundi kwi universities, nani kwi TVET Colleges niyazifumana. Asikwazi ke ukusonga izandwephondo xa ningazifumani izidaga zenu zemfundo ngenxa yamatyala, babe abazali benu bengathathi ntweni.
We understand that as young graduates, you are frustrated with sitting at home with qualifications. The ANC-led government in this province is working tirelessly to attract more investors into the Eastern Cape economy so that we can create more jobs for the youth.
Siyazi ukuba ulutsha lweli phondo luhlikihle kakhulu ebuchotsheni, yimfuzo leyo. Siyanicela ngokukhulu ukuzithoba bantwana bethu, bantakwethu no dade wethu ningavumi ukulahlekiswa ngo nqevu abanithembisa ukuninika izityhwentywe zemali ilizwe elingenazo. Bafuna nje iivoti zenu bazokwazi ukuyongxola ePalamente, bamkele imivuzo kuleminyaka mihlanu izayo.
If the country had money in abundance, the ANC-led government would be giving all unemployed graduates and young people more money through social relief grants. Lumkelani ukuqhathwa ngabantu abangazinto ngendlela iimali zeli Lizwe ezime ngayo, nendlela ezisetyenziswa ngayo
Having said that, the ANC-led government will enhance its interventions for the youth as follows:
We will be launching a Mega Skills Project in partnership with MerSETA in our province. This project is targeted to train 10,000 young people in the province as artisans.
Young people in our province must look forward to more skills and youth employment initiatives which we will implement with other partner government departments such as the Labour Activation Programme, and National Youth Service with the SANDF targeting unemployed graduates.
We will continue to partner with the private sector to map out future skills required by the different industries in the Eastern Cape.
We will intensify apprentice programmes, internships and matching of jobs to youth to enable the employment of young people in different industries
PRIORITY 4: Invest in Service Delivery
Comrades, priority number 4 in our 2024 Manifesto is Investment in Service Delivery. Service delivery is the anthem of the ANC-led government. Though we may have struggled to meet the needs of our people in some areas of service delivery, in the 7th administration we will focus on intensifying our efforts to deliver quality services to our people with speed. This we will do by:
Intensifying the programme of supporting our municipalities to effectively spend service delivery funding that has been allocated for infrastructure improvement, building new infrastructure and maintenance of existing infrastructure.
Intensifying our efforts of decisively dealing with crime and criminal activities in protecting government infrastructure from vandalism, maintaining law and order, and ensuring safe communities
Ensuring that there is continuous provision of quality basic services and advance social transformation through the provision of a social wage, and widening access to healthcare, education, housing, transport, water, sanitation, electricity, and communications.
Promoting and defending the rights of all citizens of our province against racism, sexism, gender-based violence, homophobia, discrimination, and other intolerances.
Continuing the fight for women’s emancipation and a truly non-sexist society.
We will intensify the war on crime and make our communities safe. This includes action against drugs, organised crime, gender-based violence and femicide, infrastructure vandalism, stock theft, extortion of businesses and gangsterism. Amatyholo ezigila mkhuba azakutsha.
Tackling corruption, improving public accountability, strengthening investigation and prosecution capabilities, and ensuring severe consequences for corrupt activities in the public and private sectors. Corrupt public servants and public representatives be warned, the end of your corrupt deeds is coming.
We will ensure that the highest level of governance is maintained in municipalities and government departments by monitoring performance, good audit outcomes and employment of qualified managers and other capable government officials. A young and energised cadre of public servants must be ready to take our province forward.
PRIORITY 5: Focus on promoting investment and trade in key economic sectors
Comrades, priority number 5 in our Manifesto is promoting investment and trade in key economic sectors. Our State of the Province address highlighted private sector-driven activities that have yielded the province jobs. These jobs are mainly driven through investments that the province continues to attract in the automotive industry, renewable energy sector, agro-processing industry, retail sector, tourism sector and creative industry.
These industries and sectors continue to be our major investment drivers and we will maintain and grow their jobs output. Therefore the 7th administration of the ANC-led government will:
Strengthen our investment instruments to attract new investments in the following sectors: automotive, tourism, agro-processing, creative industry, oceans economy, digital economy, retail sector.
We will encourage our national government to invest more in enabling economic infrastructure such as ports, rail, road, airports, energy, water, sanitation, and connectivity. This will enable investors to see our province as a viable destination for investments. Economic assets such as Bhisho Airport, and Dawid Stuurman International Airport will claim their rightful place as gateways to international markets.
We will adopt an outward-looking approach to facilitate more trade with countries such as Germany, the United States of America, the Middle East, China, Japan, and South Korea. We will achieve this through instruments like BRICS, AGOA, and the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.
We will strengthen our provincial public entities tasked with bringing investments into the province (Coega, ELIDZ, AIDC-EC, ECDC) to do more in securing investors for the province. It is the investors that create jobs, comrades.
PRIORITY 6: Build a better Africa and World
Comrades the last priority in the ANC Manifesto is building a better Africa and World. We are part of the global community. We are connected to other countries by our humanity and economic ties. We can never survive without other countries, those in the continent and far away continents.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries of the world that we have partnerships with such as China, the USA and Germany assisted us with healthcare equipment to save the lives of our people. The industries we have whether in manufacturing or agro-processing are sustainable because we trade with other countries of the world. For instance, we export cars produced in our province to Europe and Asia. The citrus that is produced here in Sarah Baartman is also exported to global markets.
That is why we need to build stronger bonds with other countries of the world. We are not doing it for luxury, we are doing it for the welfare of the people of this province.
The 7th administration of the ANC-led government in this province will:
Continue to position our province to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Will strengthen ties with the countries we have twinning agreements with, to open more markets for Eastern Cape exports.
Will add our voice to the effort of promoting peace in our province and the world, particularly in solidarity with oppressed people of Palestine.
Conclusion.
Comrades and friends what I have just presented is the summary of the Manifesto of the ANC for 2024. This Manifesto was informed by the views of the people of this province who participated in ANC branches and other engagement platforms we created to listen to their views. Therefore, this is a Manifesto of the People of the Eastern Cape. It is a five-year blueprint that will take our province to a better place than where it is today. It is a five-year blueprint that will shape our common future.
It proposes redoubling our efforts in areas where achieved progress and strengthening of areas where we had minimal success. It is an implementable Manifesto that is not overboard with promises.
Our advantage as the ANC is that we know how to govern, and we have experience in governance. Asifani nemibutho efuna ukufunda ukubhabha eburhulumenteni.
Sicela ke nisithembe nakalokunje ngee voti zenu sikwazi ukwenza ezi zinto nithe masizenze kule Manifesto ukuze siguqule ubomi benu bubengcono. For us to implement this Manifesto successfully we will need a resounding victory on election day on May 29. There will be two ballot papers in the elections. On the first ballot, all of us must vote for the ANC. In the second ballot asitshintshi nakuyo we must vote ANC.
Masambeni ke sonke maqabane majoni athembekileyo e -ANC namahlakani wethu siyoxelela bonke abantu beliphondo ezilalini, nakwi lokishi zethu ngaleManifesto yethu sizokuqhubeka siphucula ngayo ubomi babantu beliphondo.
Umntu emntwini, Mayihlomeee!!!
