“We are ready for the opposition”: Ramaphosa

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa took a swipe at opposition parties during his January 8 birthday celebration speech, saying the ANC feared none and was ready to face off with any party ahead of the upcoming elections.

The remarks by Ramaphosa come as the party battles to deal with his rebellious predecessor, former president Jacob Zuma, who formed his own Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and called for opposition parties to unite to topple the ANC.

This is against the backdrop of several scientific reports that have shown that the ANC would not acquire the 50 plus one percent required to govern the party as the majority.

Speaking at a fully packed Mbombela stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday, Ramaphosa told the crowd that the ANC was not jealous nor fazed by any party, adding the ruling party would emerge victorious yet again when the country heads to the polls this year.

Plotting and planning against the ANC would not get opposition parties anywhere, he said, urging supporters to aim for an outright win.

“When they look at us, they say the ANC is finished, when they look at us, they say we are going to get less than 50%, some are even saying we are going to get 30%. This is being said by people who don’t know the ANC.

“Try coming for us. You will find us ready for you. We want to go to the election so that we can separate those who are able to govern this country and those who are not,” he said.

Ramaphosa also accused opposition parties of copying ANC manifesto ideas and presenting them as their own.

No party had a clear vision for a better and more equal society and the capability to achieve it than the ANC, he said.

“You will see them when they launch their manifestos. They will wait first to copy from the ANC manifesto. They will be speaking about the things that are in the manifesto of the ANC.”

“When they come with their manifestos, it’s half-baked ideas that will never work for the people of our country,’ Ramaphosa said.

“The ANC remains the party of influence for all who seek to build a united, non racial, non sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.”

The ANC leader also used the January 8th statement to boast about victories of the ANC led government in the past 30 years, including alleviating poverty in South Africa.

“This is one of the great achievements of our government to help our people to deal with poverty,”  Ramaphosa said.