ANC STATEMENT ON BY-ELECTION RESULTS
6 NOVEMBER 2014
The African National Congress participated in 12 by-elections in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape yesterday, 5th November 2014. Of the 12 wards contested, 11 had been previously ANC wards and 1 an opposition ward. The African National Congress won 10 of its 11 wards. Three of the retained wards were uncontested, some were won with increased majority and all of them with decisive and overwhelming outcome; a demonstration of the ANC's continuing hegemony in those communities arising from the tangible difference our people can see in their lives as a result of ANC policies.
These by-election results once again prove the point made in the SA Economic Update report released by the World Bank this week. According to this authoritative source, the policies of the ANC government have lifted more than 3,6 million South Africans out of poverty. It further affirms that our progressive policies continue to benefit the poorest of the poor rather than the rich, dismissing the unfounded allegations made in some quarters that the ANC has abandoned the working class and the poor. Of the 12 countries sampled, South Africa has shown the greatest reduction in levels of poverty and inequality amongst its citizens.
Our social security net has drastically changed the lives of the most vulnerable who lived below the poverty line from a mere R200 per month to over R2800; providing much needed relief to our people. While much more still needs to be done and much quicker, the African National Congress is proud of the strides made and most importantly, of their impact in ensuring our people's lives change for the better - a indisputable fact that the South African public continues to reaffirm each time they take to the polls.
The African National Congress does not take for granted the support and confidence the people of South Africa continue to show in the movement and its ability to move South Africa forward. As we congratulate all newly elected public representatives and thank each and every one of our volunteers, we also direct them to continue to work hard to realise the aspirations of our people.
The legacy of apartheid and its stubborn residual effects of poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment and inequality remain amongst us. Our work as an organisation is to decisively and irrevocably push back the frontiers of poverty, with the people at the centre of our socio-economic transformation project underpinned by radical and accelerated action.
Statement issued by Zizi Kodwa, ANC national spokesperson, November 6 2014
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