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The ANC manifesto launch in North West yesterday was “a resounding success”, says President Cyril Ramaphosa, “proving that our people love the ANC”.
“Our people came in large numbers and they proved that indeed they love the ANC,” Ramaphosa told guests during a gala dinner event in Rustenburg Civic Centre following the manifesto launch earlier in the day.
The night event was attended by business leaders in the mining, finance and agricultural sectors, as well as local community stakeholders including traditional and church leaders.
Earlier, ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile said the gala dinner was an opportunity for fundraising so that provinces did not always run to Luthuli House.
He said that in Eastern Cape the party raised more than R18 million during the gala dinner event.
He challenged the North West to do much better because they had “the mines and platinum”.
Ramaphosa said he hoped that the guests attending the event had come with pockets full of money to support the ANC.
He said the ANC was on a mission to renew South Africa, adding that Africa was in the process of innovative development even prior to colonisation – which interrupted that development.
He said the formation of the ANC was the answer to colonisation, formed to rebuild and renew South Africa to “make sure that that interruption was dealt with”.
The mission of the ANC, he said, was to bring back that innovation and creativity.
“In 1994 that was when the rebuilding process started in earnest. That is when the ANC started remodeling and reshaping our country.”
Ramaphosa said “the task has gone extremely well in the past 25 years” and that the Nasrec conference in 2017, where he was elected to take charge of the party, again gave the ANC the mandate to renew the country as a whole.
“The message is clear that there is no other organisation that can unite South Africa like the ANC, whether others like it or not.”
This new process, he said, was about “rebuilding the economy of our country, getting everyone to work with us so that we could resolve the challenges we have like unemployment”.
“That is why our manifesto focus is jobs, jobs and jobs to grow the economy of our country.”
This week Ramaphosa opened a new mine in the Northern Cape, where $400m has been invested with a further promise of $100m.
“The country is enveloped by this message of renewal, rebuilding and the new dawn. We have arrived at a great moment, a moment that says: ‘we are renewing ourselves’. That is where we are. Great opportunities await us as South Africa.”
He said he was looking at a better environment and climate for business to invest “and we are saying that is exactly where we are”.
He said businesses will create jobs and wealth and as government “we will support you and we will not be envious of you”.
“Because as a government we want you to succeed as businesses. We want you to see South Africa as a place of great opportunities.”
“This is the home of opportunities for businesses to come and invest their money,” he added.
He said his renewal project was also about opening up South Africa to be the gateway to the continent because of high industrialisation, infrastructure, good financial services and skilled workers.
“Please do not look down on yourself. We are the gateway to Africa,” he said.
Businesspeople were aware that South Africa offered the best returns that any investors would want, he added.
Ramaphosa also promised that under his administration small businesses would be paid on time.
“We cannot say we are proud of you but at the same time want to destroy your business by not paying.”
According to Ramaphosa, the ANC intended to move faster on radical economic transformation to ensure that black economic empowerment was realised.
He spoke against rent seekers and tender premiers saying South Africa was instead looking for “real businesses”.
He said business must raise hands, come to the fore and participate in government’s black industrialist programme.
Ramaphosa said there was a potential for new investment in the fourth industrial revolution and the roll of out technology, especially in rural areas.
