Pretoria - EFF leader in Tshwane Obakeng Ramabodu led a group of “fighters” in Mabopane on a door-to-door campaign as President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as ANC leader, addressed the community.
Ramaphosa was in the area with Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and party spokesperson Zizi Kodwa. They visited the in Block UX home of slain ANC councillor Tshepo Motaung, who was murdered in a suspected hit allegedly linked to his nomination as candidate in the November 1 polls.
Ramabodu said EFF members were not bothered nor intimidated by their ANC counterparts because in a democratic South Africa, everybody had a right to campaign freely.
Pointing to some people who were waving and screaming at them from a double-storey building, Ramabodu said the people were tired of the same promises and wanted change.
“If you look at the ANC crowd, they came here by buses; so, they are not people from here.
“We are not shaken by that. They know they have lost the confidence of the people.
“We are here to do our door-to-door campaign and speak to our people, and the response is good. Unlike the ANC who brought a crowd from other areas to talk about the problems of this area.
“We are not intimidated by them and we are doing this precisely to test that the constitution still exists. This is a test of democracy and if we can do it again we will do it.
“We want to send a strong message that says: ‘Our land and jobs now’. We want our land and we want jobs. We are tired of stories; our people are tired of stories, everybody wants service delivery and we want to give them that,” said Ramabodu.
ANC supporter Mike Mokoena said: “These guys love attention and have nothing to offer.
“We will meet them at the polls and do to them what we did to them the last time – defeat them.”
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa told his supporters that there were parties that claimed to know better, but that was not the case.
He urged the people to look at the ANC’s track record to see that the party has been working and making strides despite hardships. “The ANC has brought our people free education in public schools.
“Only a few schools still require payments. This ANC brought the National Student Financial Aid Scheme for needy students.
“The ANC has built over 4 million houses for the people. I travel across all this Africa and I have never seen a government that calls a man and a woman and says we are giving you a house that costs R160 000 and it has water and electricity. It is only the ANC government that does that.”
He encouraged people to continue voting for the ANC because it was still well positioned to continue to deliver service sand improve the lives of the people.
Pretoria News