Poor turnout confirms ANC didn’t speak for its electorate, says Duarte

The African National Congress (ANC) blames itself for poor performance during 2021 local government elections, especially in its strongholds.

The ANC’s Deputy Secretary-General, Jessie Duarte, believes the low voter turnout is a reflection of voter dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s inability to address concerns, including providing quality services and tackling corruption and greed.

In a statement, Duarte said, “These results and the turnout are a clear message that our movement must shape up.”

She said looking at preliminary results ,the ANC expects more hung councils than in the last local elections, necessitating coalitions with other parties.

Duarte says the recent experiences with several coalitions have not been positive.

“Most of these coalitions led by the opposition have been messy and untidy and premised on gaining power as an end in itself. It resulted in “inconvenient marriages” that are unstable and self-serving, according to Duarte.

She said the ANC would consider an approach with like-minded parties to prevent political and administrative instability, affirming the principle widely accepted in many countries, adding that the party that receives the most votes in an election win.

“As the ANC, we are committed to building unity and fostering cooperation with formations committed to advancing the building of truly non-racial, non-sexist, and united developing local governments,” added Duarte.