Speaking in Mbombela, Mpumalanga on Monday during the cake cutting to celebrate 112th birthday. The ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa said “ If the ANC fails to attain the majority vote, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and Social grants may be scrapped”
The African National Congress has seen a steady decline in electorate support post 1994, with the party struggling with divisions within the organisation and losing trust amongst the public.
According to Stats SA Social grants remain a vital safety net, particularly in the poorest provinces. Nationally, grants were the second most important source of income (50,2%) in most households. Meanwhile the embattled National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is one of the biggest financial institutions assisting South African students, with 80 percentage of its funding going to universities.
The ANC President suggests that the only way South Africans can enjoy this grants is through an ANC-led Government. Playing politics Ramaphosa made this statement following suggestions made by opposition parties to scrap grants expenditures to boost economic development and create employment for South Africans.
The ANC under Ramaphosa has been criticised by its own stalwarts, with Former Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma publicly saying it will be difficult to campaign under the banner of the African National Congress. Fears are that ANC might perform just under 50 percent in the 2024 national elections, which might see the oldest liberation movement having a to share power with other parties in order to be in government.