DURBAN: South Africa's ruling ANC launched its election campaign on Saturday, hoping to overcome anger over high unemployment and a sluggish economy and to protect its three-decade-old majority.
In power since the advent of democracy in 1994, President Cyril Ramaphosa's African National Congress has suffered a sharp decline in support.
Yet the party remains a formidable machine, with supporters at all levels of government across most of the country, and many South Africans retain proud memories of its lead role in the anti-apartheid struggle.
"Over the next three months we will explain to millions of our people why the ANC remains the party of choice in the 2024 election," Ramaphosa declared at the launch of his party's manifesto for the May 29 general election.
"In the next 50 years, the legacies of apartheid colonialism and patriarchy, which still loom large in South Africa, will be a matter of history. Our confidence rests on that."
Ramaphosa acknowledged that some party members have been found wanting in recent scandals, and vowed that candidates for elected posts would be rigorously screened.
"Yes, when our members make mistakes, we will correct them, We will make sure that they do the right thing," he said. "Yes, we are renewing ourselves ... We are becoming better."
Tens of thousands of people dressed in the ANC's yellow and green colours packed into a soccer stadium in the port city of Durban.
They had arrived from the early morning, proud on this day despite the ANC's shrinking opinion poll lead.
"We were born under this political party and we will go through everything with it," said Sthabile Nxumalo, 30, who runs a cosmetic business, as she queued to enter the venue with her sister.
The ANC faces an uphill battle to keep its parliamentary majority, with polls showing it particularly vulnerable in Durban's KwaZulu-Natal -- a key electoral battleground.
In Durban, Ramaphosa touted the ANC's credentials as the liberation movement that brought democracy to South Africa and helped lift many from poverty.
Supporters also heard pledges to build energy infrastructure to end crippling power-cuts and to create jobs, but for many voters the plan will be undercut by the ANC's record. — AFP
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