Limpopo opposition parties on their prospects in the 2024 elections: “We want a total takeover,” EFF declares while DA, FF+ adopt a scientific approach
THE Economic Freedom Front (EFF) sits as an official opposition party in the Limpopo legislature with 14,43% of votes whilst the ANC has 75,49% garnered from the 2019 general elections.
Translated into actual numbers as per the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) statistics, the EFF attracted 209 483 votes with ANC standing at 1 096 300 – all from the total votes cast of 1 470 230 excluding 18 072 spoilt ballots.
However, EFF provincial leader, Tshilidzi Maraga, remain convinced that the party will be the next government in the province after the 29 May 2024 general elections.
On the other hand, the Democratic Alliance (DA) seems to have taken a realistic and scientific approach on its prospects in the coming general elections.
In the previous elections, DA amassed 78 360 votes (5,40%) which secured it three seats in the provincial legislature.
Its provincial leader, Lindy Wilson, was well aware that the party may not gain the majority rule in the province after the upcoming elections.
However, she was confident that the party will increase the votes that will ultimately feed into the multi-party charter envisaged to topple the ANC as a ruling party at the national level.
This is the same approach shared by Freedom Front Plus (FF+) which has grown steadily since the 2004 general elections until it achieved 1,42% in 2019.
Though the opposition parties in Limpopo have set themselves different outcomes in the 2024 general elections, they will be electioneering on the backdrop of what they each termed “the lie of the ANC over three decades”, especially on service delivery and other matters.
In an interview, Maraga was confident that EFF would be the next ruling party in the province despite statistics showing that the odds may be against the endeavour.
She said the party’s chances were being boosted by its alternative provision of services such as water and housing to communities. She declared: “We want a total takeover.”
“As EFF, we have already started. We have 15 boreholes around Limpopo – and even not yet in government, we drilled those boreholes and we give community members the tanks where there are no boreholes. The tanks are marked that this is EFF water.
“When it comes to descent housing, we are not going to build those forogisi (matchbox) houses or the shacks that we are seeing on a daily basis. We are also going to provide quality roads. We are even going around patching potholes using our own cement,” Maraga said.
To Wilson, the lack of basic services such as water in many areas of the province may be other factors that could shift votes to the DA.
“People are upset. We are at our highest poverty level ever, we are at our highest unemployment ever,” Wilson said.