ANC and ActionSA Are the Most Popular Parties in Soweto, According to the Community

• Some Soweto residents remain loyal to the governing party as they believe they have provided a better life
• There are also those Soweto residents who have lost faith in the ANC due to corruption and poor service delivery
• Pre-election surveys reveal that the ANC's popularity has fallen to less than 50% due to low voter turnout

JOHANNESBURG - Soweto residents are split between the ANC and ActionSA in today's municipal election. Many retain their loyalty to the ruling party while others hope that ActionSA will fill in gaps left by the ANC.

An example of this is the difference in opinion between 79-year-old Maria Motale and businesswoman Lerato Ndlovu. Both live in Soweto but Motale is a firm ANC supporter, while Ndlovu believes ActionSA will provide more than the ruling party.

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She has reasoned that by voting for ActionSA, people can move power away from the ANC. In Ndlovu's view, if Herman Mashaba becomes mayor of Johannesburg again, then the city will flourish.

A tale of two woman

Motale, on the other hand, argues that in her lifetime she has witnessed the ANC changing lives for the better and she does not believe that another political party can perform better. In her view, service delivery problems are caused by residents who strain the system, for example by creating illegal electricity connections.

Ndlovu takes a different view and says she cannot ignore the ANC's corruption. According to Times Live, she has seen her area degenerate from a thriving business and tourism centre to a crime hotspot. She is hoping that if ActionSA wins Johannesburg's vote, then her business will benefit.

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“I am voting for ActionSA because I think we need to remove the ANC for now so they can learn from somebody who will do the work and Mashaba did a great job when he was mayor. When he left, Johannesburg collapsed," said Ndlovu.

ANC is predicted to have less than half of SA's vote

News24 has reported that the ANC scored less than 50% in pre-election surveys conducted by Ipsos for eNCA. According to their model, if 59% of registered voters vote in today's municipal election, then 45.7% of that group will vote for the ANC with the DA coming in at 23.5%.

One of the biggest contributing factors to these figures is that many people who were surveyed expressed that they are indecisive about which political party to vote for.

"A wide variety of explanations were given: some people indicated that they will not vote in the local government elections, while others expressed distrust of politicians and political parties. Some respondents were of the opinion that voting won't change anything, and others just refused to answer the question."

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South Africa reacts to the election predictions

South Africans wasted no time in reacting to the projected outcomes of the municipal election. Here's how some reacted.

@Tseanp said:

"Sad thing is that majority of people I speak to don’t understand that this is a #municipal and not a #national election!! The majority of the electorate don’t understand or appreciate the difference! Not one political party has endeavoured to explain this?! @Our_DA @MYANC"

@UniqueSAProblem said:

"Lol. You need statisticians to work that out?"

@Chas18427084 said:

"Makes sense, the more trough feeders out to vote, the more votes for the looting ANC. That's just a fact of life in SA."

@Feeroz1231 said:

"#VoetsekANC "

Ramaphosa promises service delivery, SA not convinced

Previously Briefly News reported on President Ramaphosa promising that the ANC is focused on service delivery.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been busy going around the country listening to people's concerns. Speaking at the ANC’s Siyanqoba Rally held in Soweto on Friday, he says the party will make significant efforts to improve service delivery.

The President further says he feels sure the ANC will come out victorious in these elections. Ramaphosa emphasised the fact that the ANC was in a "better position" than its opposition, SABC News reports.

Source: Briefly News