President Jacob Zuma’s launched the African National Congress manifesto for South Africa’s local elections in August urging people to vote for the ruling party because it is the only one that can improve their lives.
He was greeted with loud cheers and enthusiasm by tens of thousands of people in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium where his the ANC faces a neck-and-neck battle battle in what was once a stronghold.
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Projecting a resolutely upbeat image, President Jacob Zuma did a lap around the stadium upon entry to greet the crowd.
There were an estimated 30,000 people present, far short of the 110 000 that party spokesperson Zizi Kodwa promised would attend.
Zuma assured them that a vote for the ANC would be a vote for the constitution.
The the highest court in the land has declared Zuma flouted the constitution by failing to heed the Public Protector’s directive to pay back public money spend on non-security upgrades to his private home.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa explained that the stadium wasn’t filled to capacity was because the 4,000 buses laid on by the party left late from different areas of the Eastern Cape. A member of the ANC provincial executive committee in the Eastern Cape blamed the ANC head office for failing to pay for transport on time.
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro is a focal point for the upcoming local elections.
The ANC has been losing support to the opposition Democratic Alliance in the area where it once buried its leaders because they it was regarded as home.