The President of the African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa, says that next year's general elections in South Africa will be the most difficult yet for the ANC.

In a recorded message from Burundi, Ramaphosa says that the ANC must stay connected with the traditional electorate and focus on the successful actions of the government since the establishment of democracy.

ANC leaders at various levels met at the weekend in Boksburg, Gauteng province, for a seminar on the elections.

The African National Congress is charting a path to victory next year, at a time when data shows a decline in the party's performance in recent polls.

In two thousand and nine, the ANC won by sixty-five point nine percent; in two thousand and fourteen, by sixty-two point fifteen percent and, in two thousand and nineteen, by fifty-seven point five percent. In between, there was a victory below fifty percent in last year's local elections.

The upcoming elections will take place at a time when South Africa is facing socio-economic challenges that require urgent responses, most notably the energy crisis.

ANC National President Gwede Matanshe warns that this crisis could affect the party's performance in the 2024 elections:

"As the African National Congress, we have a duty to solve the problem of the energy crisis and we must solve it before December. If we don't, the crisis will affect next year's elections," he said.

Faced with this reality, the opposition parties say they will do everything they can to keep the ANC below fifty percent in the next elections.

Despite the fact that the debate on the possibility of a coalition government, both at national and provincial level, is gradually taking off, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa believes that the party can repeat its victory:

"We're not campaigning for coalitions. We campaign for our victory and our people are ready," he said.

The ANC staff seminar, which took place at the weekend, was organized by the Secretary General's office. (RM)