As we approach the anniversary of the third decade of democracy next year, the ANC’s election messaging remains the same as it was when we marked the second decade in 2014.  

Ten years later the “good story to tell” narrative is back, flooding social and mainstream media over the weekend as President Cyril Ramaphosa headlined the party’s manifesto “review” process. Without a hint of irony, he echoed former president Jacob Zuma’s messaging ahead of the 2014 election, saying the ANC should be judged on the entirety of its achievements  since 1994, and not just on whether it had fulfilled the promises in its 2019 manifesto — which it generally has not. ..