Elections 2024|ANC in Limpopo adamant to retain power: “We have done our research …”says party leader Chupu Mathabatha  

THE ANC in Limpopo remain adamant it will retain power in the province despite the consistent loss of votes in the past three general elections.

The party garnered 89,18% in 2004, but registered 84,88% and 78,60% in 2009 and 2014 respectively. In spite of the declining percentages, it remained far ahead of its arch political rivals in the province, the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA).

In an interview, ANC chairperson and outgoing premier Chupu Mathabatha, was unmoved by the statistics as the party went into an electioneering mode with a central message that it brought development to the previously disadvantaged people in the past 30 years.

Mathabatha held a strong view that the decline in percentages was not reflective of disgruntlement by some voters over development and service delivery, but for other reasons.

“We have done our research and we know the reason. The problem is the voter turnout. It’s not like people voted for other parties, and there are many things that discourage people not to vote. Sometimes its people disgruntled because so-and-so was my favourite leader, but ANC felt we should remove him or her and bring another person. Remember the ‘no Sputla, no vote’ in Tshwane?” he said.

He said sometimes people were discouraged to go and vote because of the long distance between their settlements and voting stations, bad weather and laziness.

“We have identified that and that’s why we are coming with measures to ensure that we visit people individually who are on the voters roll and persuade them to vote. In that way we believe we’ll be able to deal with this problem,” Mathabatha said.

He expanded on some aspects of his state of the province address (Sopa) which set the tone for the ANC’s central message in the current electioneering period.

“Limpopo was moving on an extremely low base 30 years ago. It was sought of designated reserve area – a buffer area for the apartheid regime and was not supposed to be developed because they didn’t want to encounter the same problems that come with urbanisation.

“I like to give Sekhukhune region as an example. It only had one tarred road. But today you go to Sekhukhune, almost every village has an access road that is tarred or paved. There was absolutely no village that had electricity, but today almost 95% of them in the province have electricity,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that access to water has dropped, not due to the government losing the ball, but because of population growth.

“We still have a long way to go. There are many things that we did and those that we still have to do such as sanitation. Those are the challenges that still face us and the seventh administration must look into.

“If you see people toyi-toying today, it’s about water or unemployment. Those are the areas we still have to address,” Mathabatha said.

He also responded to a scenario circulating in the public domain that should Gauteng fall under a coalition government after the elections, many companies, because of fear of potential political instability, may decide to move to Limpopo.

“In terms of attracting investments in our province, we have held various investment conferences. The last one we’ve done we had pledges of over R258 billion and companies have already started implementing those pledges. In the mining sector, many have already spent a lot of money.

“Once you do that, you are also creating livelihoods for the people. Like I always say, once you establish a mine or expand one in that particular area, it creates its own economy. In 2023 alone, we created 182 000 jobs. That’s why people were laughing at me (at the University of Limpopo) when I explained that unemployment was increasing, but at a decreasing rate.

“I think it was a question of English or simple macro-economics 102 that people did not understand. For example, if you lose 40 000 jobs and create 100 000 jobs, obviously unemployment will also continue to increase, but the rate is gradually diminishing. So, that is what is happening in this province,” Mathabatha said.

Referring to infrastructure development in the City of Polokwane, he said: “Had you come here prior to 1994 when it was still old Pietersburg and look at today’s Polokwane with the ring roads and everything here, there’s vast difference. That says there has been a lot of investment even in villages.”