Political parties have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement of the 2024 election date, expressing readiness for what is touted to be a crucial election.

On Tuesday Ramaphosa announced May 29th as the day for South Africans to head to the ballot box for the national and provincial elections, calling on all those eligible to exercise their democratic right to vote.

“. . . those who will be campaigning [are requested] to do so peacefully, within the full observance of the law,” he said.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said his party welcomed the date, declaring its readiness to fix the country. The party invited Ramaphosa and Premiers to begin packing their offices and updating their CVs.

“Over the past two years ActionSA has built structures across all nine provinces of our country with branches now in over 45% of the wards of the country, under credible provincial leadership,” said Beaumont.

The by-elections have been contested in various provinces which have revealed ActionSA’s continued growth in Gauteng, he explained.

ActionSA said it had resolved to run a positive campaign.

“ActionSA’s campaign will strive to show all South Africans that we can fix South Africa but that this work can only begin once the ANC [African National Congress] is removed from office. ActionSA is the party that will achieve this. It is with purpose that ActionSA welcomes this announcement and declares ourselves ready to fix South Africa,” said Beaumont.

FAILURES, CORRUPTION AND STATE CAPTURE

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said it viewed May 29 as a day for the country to finally free itself from the clutches of an ANC government that had only delivered poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment and widespread corruption.

IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the IFP stood ready for the 2024 elections.

“The IFP National Campaign Committee will now streamline all our plans and programmes of action to ensure the IFP's electoral support. We also encourage every South African to register to vote online - once the President promulgates the election day officially, the voters' roll will close,” Hlengwa pointed out.

He called on all South Africans to embrace the election date as a pivotal moment in symbolising an opportunity for the nation to liberate itself from the grip of a “failed government” once and for all.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen also echoed sentiments that the 2024 election would be a turning point for South Africa.

“The DA is fully prepared for the challenge ahead, and we are all-systems-go for the May 29 date. The DA is ready to fight this election, so South Africa can win,” he said.

Steenhuisen highlighted that the DA had meticulously prepared for this historic election, with support levels currently at their highest ever.

“Our army of election volunteers, activists and supporters are poised to build upon months of hard work across every town and city in South Africa. Our manifesto, launched and made public, is being received favourably across the country. It reflects the aspirations and hopes of the people, offering a clear alternative to the decades of ANC mismanagement. Our election goals are not just ambitious but achievable, and we intend to be at the core of a new government for South Africa,” he explained.

The DA said it was committed to bringing an end to 30 years of ANC failure, corruption and State capture.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said this year’s elections marked an opportunity for all South Africans to put an end to the “misery” the country has suffered for 30 years under the “incompetent, corrupt and misguided governance of the ANC”.

The party said the May 29 election date marked an opportunity for the nation to achieve true freedom, at the centre of which sat economic freedom.

“The 29th of May 2024 therefore marks an opportunity for South Africa to achieve true independence and liberation, and at the centre of that liberation lies the removal of those who have used political power to enrich themselves,” the EFF said.

The African Christian Democratic Party said it had been preparing for this day, assuring South Africans that the party was ready to set them free from the bondage of corruption, crime, joblessness, poverty and loadshedding which continued to have a negative impact on the country’s economy, as well as from an ANC government that the party said served its own narrow interests at the expense of citizens.

The party will launch its manifesto on March 9 at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.