ANC manifesto launch: How to watch live [video]

Ramaphosa is expected to sell South Africans a refurbished ruling party at the ANC manifesto launch.

On Monday, the ANC will launch its manifesto ahead of the 2021 local government elections.

ANC rebrands amid rising tensions

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cohorts were out in droves this past weekend, building up anticipation ahead of the ruling party’s manifesto launch.

While many on-the-fence supporters were impressed by the president’s unveiling of a record 25% of local government candidates aged younger than 35, the party’s old habits of causing outrage on social media persisted.

ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile was forced to issue a statement, on Sunday, after a video clip showing him handing out cash to regalia-clad churchgoers went viral.

Ramaphosa’s biggest challenge is reintroducing the ANC as a renewed political party, and it all starts with his firm stance on cadre deployment.

At a media briefing held in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Sunday, the president made it abundantly clear that a candidate’s ranking on the party list will not guarantee mayorship or a senior position.

“If you are the popular one and number one on the list, it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed the mayorship. This is a new era we are ushering in,” he warned.

With factional battles brewing from the recent developments around former president Jacob Zuma and his fictionalists, the ANC has looked ahead at reshaping its identity.

“We want candidates who enjoy the confidence of the people they are expected to serve, who are rooted in communities and who have a strong record of service. We want our candidates to reflect the great diversity of the South African people, reinforcing the reality that the African National Congress – more than any other political formation in our country – represents the interests and the aspirations of the South African nation,” the president said.