Yasmin Bilal
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has called on party volunteers in KwaZulu-Natal to intensify mobilisation efforts as the organisation prepares for the 4 November local government elections.
Mbalula was addressing the ANC Voter Registration Drive Volunteer Assembly held at Tills Crescent Sports Ground in Overport, eThekwini Region, where he outlined what he described as a programme of action for the campaign period.
“We have arrived at the Tills Crescent Sports Ground, Overport in eThekwini Region, KwaZulu-Natal, where I delivered a keynote address at the Voters Registration Volunteers Assembly,” Mbalula said.
The gathering, Mbalula said, was aimed at strengthening the ANC’s ground campaign.
“We are here to set out the programme of action for our volunteers as we gear up for a decisive victory in the upcoming Local Government Elections,” he said.
He added that the party’s strength lies in its support base and volunteers.
“The strength of the African National Congress is in our youth, in our volunteers, in the people sitting in this audience this morning,” Mbalula said.
The ANC, he said, remains focused on returning to communities and improving governance.
“We are going back for our people. We are fixing local government. We are winning on the 4th of November,” he said.
Mbalula stressed the importance of volunteers in the party’s organisational work, adding that they remain central to its campaign structure.
“The strength of the ANC has always been its volunteers. From community to community, they remain the backbone of our organising work, carrying the message of the movement directly to the people,” he said.
He further added: “The pillar of the movement is its volunteers led by the Volunteer in Chief, Cyril Ramaphosa. We are all volunteers who are at the service of the organisation. The volunteers are the ones carrying the ANC on their shoulders. We are now at a critical juncture where the ANC cannot afford to forget its volunteers.”
ANC structures in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbalula said, must work in unity to secure electoral success.
“The message of the leadership in KwaZulu-Natal is one, all members of the ANC must be on the ground to ensure the total victory of the African National Congress, and this will not be achieved without the hard work of all our volunteers,” he said.
On councillor selection, he called for accountable and community-centred leaders.
“We are now at a critical moment in our campaign where we are electing our councillor candidates,” Mbalula said.
The party, he added, must prioritise community-rooted leaders.
“We must identify people who work for the community and who are loved by the organisation, those are the councillors we want. Not lazy ones who’ve never called one ward meeting since they’ve been elected, and when the community complain about service delivery, they are nowhere to be found,” he said.
Councillors, he said, must remain present and accessible.
“We want councillors who are available to the community and are within the people. Leadership must focus on service delivery and community needs,” he said.
“Mbalula also urged stronger engagement with communities.
“When we speak amongst ourselves, we think we are winning, whereas we should be speaking to the people and feel the pulse of the people,” he said.
The role of women in the campaign was also highlighted, with calls for respect, protection and fair representation. Volunteers were urged to maintain discipline and unity as the ANC intensifies its election drive.