(25 May 2024)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Johannesburg, South Africa – 25 May 2024
1. Various of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and ruling party officials dancing on stage
2. Various of African National Congress (ANC) supporters singing and dancing
3. Various of Ramaphosa speaking on stage
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa:
"We are also going to spend quite a lot of money, billions, training people to get skills, skills that can be best used in our economy. Because our objective is to create quality jobs and in order to do so we want to build industries, we want to localize so that more and more products are made here in South Africa."
5. Various of supporters cheering ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa:
"We will also end load-shedding. We will complete the work, that is the excellent work that has already been done to tackle our electricity crisis."
7. Various of supporters holding protest banners against conflict in Gaza and Palestinian flags
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa:
"As the African National Congress, we will continue to stand with the people of Palestine. Because our own freedom is intricately linked with the freedom of the people of Palestine and we say free free Palestine."
9. Wide of supporters cheering and waving
10. Woman blowing horn
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa:
"All you have to look at is to look at the ballot paper, look at the sign of the ANC and look out for a handsome guy like me and put your cross next to that sign. That is how we are going to win this election."
12. Various of Ramaphosa dancing on stage
STORYLINE:
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed African National Congress (ANC) supporters at the Siyanqoba rally at FNB stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
South Africa’s four main political parties began the final weekend of campaigning ahead of a possibly pivotal election that could bring the country’s most important change in 30 years.
Supporters of the long-ruling ANC, which has been in government ever since the end of white minority rule in 1994, gathered at the FNC soccer stadium in Johannesburg to hear party leader and sitting president Cyril Ramaphosa speak.
The ANC is under unprecedented pressure to keep hold of its parliamentary majority in Africa’s most advanced country. Having seen its popularity steadily decline over the last 20 years, Wednesday’s vote could be a landmark moment when the party once led by Nelson Mandela drops below 50% of the vote for the first time.
Several polls have the ANC’s support at less than 50%, raising the possibility that it will lose its majority this time and have to form a national coalition to stay in government. That would also be a first for South Africa’s young democracy, which was only established 30 years ago with the first all-race vote that officially ended the apartheid system of racial segregation.
As thousands of supporters in the ANC’s black, green and gold colors attended its last major rally before the election, Ramaphosa recognized some of the grievances that have contributed to his party losing support, which include high levels of poverty and unemployment that mainly affect the country’s Black majority.
"We are also going to spend quite a lot of money, billions, training people to get skills that can be best used in our economy. Because our objective is to create quality jobs," Ramaphosa said adding that his government would provide a fund to cushion the unemployed.
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