ANC aims for high poll turn-out
2006-01-23 18:35
Cape Town - The African National Congress and its alliance partners are gearing up to ensure all registered voters turn out to cast their ballots in the March 1 municipal elections.
After the ANC's national executive committee annual lekgotla in Ekurhuleni at the weekend, the ANC said a key area of work for the party and the broader democratic movement in 2006 was deepening popular participation in local government.
"Alongside this task is the challenge of improving the capacity of local government to fulfil its role in providing services to communities, stimulating economic development and tackling poverty," it said.
"The lekgotla reaffirmed the central responsibility of the branches and cadres of the ANC to mobilise communities to participate more meaningfully in the identification of local priorities and programmes.
Giving hands-on support
"This will be a central campaign of the ANC, not only during the course of the local government election campaign, but also after the election, as the new local councils begin their important work."
The lekgotla also paid attention to work that needed to be done by national and provincial governments to give direct, hands-on support to local government, and to ensure there was effective co-ordination and coherence between the development programmes of all three spheres of government.
"The ANC, the alliance and the broader democratic movement will dedicate the remaining five weeks until the election to an intensive and widespread programme of mobilisation to ensure that every registered voter in South Africa turns out to cast their ballot on Wednesday, March 1," read an ANC statement.
- SAPA