African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has criticised South Africans who say the party has achieved nothing during its 30 years in government, arguing that some beneficiaries of government programmes overlook the support they have received.
Speaking in a video recorded during an ANC campaign, Mantashe said the party had helped liberate South Africans from white oppression but was now facing growing doubt among sections of the population.
“We took people out of white oppression and now people are beginning to doubt. And people stand in public and say for ‘30 years ANC has not done anything’,” Mantashe said.
He argued that some of those criticising the ANC could be beneficiaries of government housing, social assistance and education programmes introduced or expanded under ANC-led governments.
“And that person could be living in an RDP given to them by the ANC government. Or it could be a child who was raised with a child support grant, accommodated in a low-fee school, given NSFAS for tertiary education but they say ANC has not done anything,” he said.
Mantashe also highlighted social grants for older people, contrasting the current system with the apartheid era.
“Elderly people know that there was no social grant under the apartheid government, but the ANC government made it possible even though people take it for granted,” he said.
The remarks reflect the ANC’s campaign message ahead of the upcoming local government elections, as the party seeks to remind voters of its role in ending apartheid and expanding access to public services.
However, the party continues to face public scrutiny over its record in government, including concerns about unemployment, municipal service delivery and persistent inequality.
