[South Africa] Mbeki: ANC 'will lead us out of poverty'

from the Mail and Gradian

"This organisation [the African National Congress] led us out of oppression, and this organisation will lead us out of poverty," President Thabo Mbeki told Soweto residents during an election campaign on Tuesday.

Mbeki urged hundreds of Soweto residents at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Orlando West to vote for the ANC in Wednesday's local government elections.

He promised that the party will solve the problems of unemployment, poverty and housing if it is elected.

"We know there are challenges here and we have got to solve them. All the roads are now tarred and we are still working on the other problems."

Many residents who had expressed anger and frustration with service delivery and "empty promises" before the president arrived clapped and cheered as he approached the stage.

Wearing ANC T-shirts and singing to music blaring from loudspeakers, the crowd danced and ululated. As Mbeki appeared on stage, dancing, the crowd rose and chanted: "Viva ANC. Viva. Thatha ANC. Thatha."

Mbeki committed himself to work for the betterment of the people of Soweto.

"I commit myself to fight corruption and to serve the people. I have not taken the position to serve myself."

While the crowd, consisting of mostly elderly women, cheered, some of the younger generation were not satisfied.

"The ANC only comes here during elections. They make promises. Fourteen years ago we were promised houses, today we still live in shacks," said Winnie Ndes.

"We are not satisfied at all. They claim to do things but they are not doing anything," said Refiloe Mahlaseng.

Dan Motshabi said he will vote for the ANC, "because apparently at the moment he [Mbeki] has in his government people who are prepared to deliver".

British tourists who listened to Mbeki's address said many people they had spoken to were not going to vote on Wednesday.

"It's a shame. People should vote but they say they are not going to," said Vicky Evans, who was visiting the memorial with her parents.