Johannesburg - The African National Congress in Gauteng "is humbled and grateful to the people of Gauteng for a renewed mandate" following the outcome of the May 8 provincial and national elections, which saw 2,168,253 (50.19 percent) people vote for the party.
"We do not take for granted being given yet another opportunity to work with the people of our province to grow Gauteng together," the ANC said in a statement on Sunday.
"We view this opportunity as a privilege and not a right. It is a clear message that the people still have confidence in the ability of the ANC to lead this province and to pursue the agenda of building a better life for all," it said.
Voters were to be commended for "coming out in numbers" to cast their votes and to ensure that South Africa's democracy worked. Even in the face of inclement weather at some point during voting day, voters exercised patience and showed a determination to have their voice heard through the ballot.
The ANC appreciated the competitiveness shown by other political parties. This was indeed a tough race and the ANC commended them for the spirit in which they participated in the elections.
"Now we have to channel our energies towards making sure that citizens of Gauteng get nothing but the best of service. We extend our utmost appreciation to our volunteers, the alliance partners, supporters, and members of the ANC at large for the hard work they have put in making sure that the ANC emerges victorious in these elections.
"We have taken note of the issues the people of Gauteng raised with us during the campaign trail, such as resolving housing concerns, unemployment, and job creation, and local government issues - fixing potholes, refuse removal, etc. This we will immediately work on addressing," the ANC said.