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Durban - President Jacob Zuma on Saturday said the ANC was more powerful than it had ever been.
He was addressing a crowd of about 500 outside the party's provincial offices in Durban at the unveiling of an elections countdown clock.
Zuma said the ANC was ready for the local government elections.
The president, who was suffering from a bout of flu, said, "We in the ANC mean business. People can say whatever they want to say but we are working on correcting what the apartheid government did."
Zuma said he was impressed by the youth who were wearing their ANC doeks (head wraps) adding that they brought respect to the party.
Zuma said the elections were important and even the elderly must come out to vote.
"We are more powerful than ever. We need to take care of God's children. We are looking after them, no one is crying. If they are, then they are sent by a zombie," he said
"We want each and everyone's votes, even those who are in other parties. They are in other parties because they want to be leaders. They must continue to vote for the ANC and still be in other parties. When you ask them what is the opposition, they tell us that they are fighting the ANC."
ANC will win all the municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal
He asked volunteers to wake up at 03:00 on the morning of voting day, August 3, and fetch the elderly to go and vote.
"Every vote counts. We are not playing, do you hear me? We are the future of South Africa, we built South Africa. What has transpired is because some are angry and were kicked out of the organisation. It does not matter because we will win," said Zuma.
#ANCYL President Jacob Zuma at the unveiling of the countdown clock in KZN pic.twitter.com/7a8Q64MC2a
— Amanda Khoza (@MandaKhoza) June 25, 2016
Provincial secretary Super Zuma said the party was going to win all the municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. "Even Zululand, which we do not have. The ANC will win decisively on August 3."
Provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala said every day was a day to campaign. "We will go to work and later go out and campaign. We have 39 days until August 3.
"We are committed to a peaceful election, we want a peaceful campaign in eThekwini and Okhahlamba.
"Everyone has a right to choose whichever party they want but we know that you will vote for the ANC."
He said the manifesto was clear and the party was going to expedite basic services.
"Our people need water, electricity and decent sanitation. Municipalities need to create jobs, they need to invest in our communities," he said.
He touched on several recent cases of racism in the province.
"First we had Penny Sparrow and now we have a man [Andre Slade] in Sodwana Bay. If you say that black people cannot be accommodated, then you should not be in business."
Zikalala also pleaded for unity in the run-up to the elections.
- Find everything you need to know about the 2016 Local Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections, or download the app for iOS and Android.
