Nkenke Kekana Picture: FINANCIAL MAIL
Nkenke Kekana Picture: FINANCIAL MAIL

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GAUTENG residents in middle-class to high-income residential areas can expect a house call from a neighbourhood African National Congress (ANC) cadre.

So intense is the competition in Gauteng between the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) that the ruling party has adopted telephonic canvassing as an election outreach strategy ahead of next week’s national elections.

The ANC seems to have borrowed the idea of contacting residents by phone from the DA. Among those contacted by the DA is a Gauteng resident who wanted to be identified only as Rehana. She says she is irked that the party representative who called asked her who she would vote for.

The ANC says it has made hundreds of calls to homes in the suburbs and has received an overwhelmingly positive response from residents.

The battle for Gauteng is expected to be the most rigorous of all the provinces. ANC provincial leaders have said the party is aiming for a psychological target of 70% in Gauteng. The party won the province with 64% in 2009. A recent survey by Ipsos suggests it will get 60%. The DA is expected to grow support in the province from 21% in 2009 to 29.2%, says the survey.

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The opposition party has rolled out its biggest campaign for Gauteng yet, led by Mmusi Maimane. Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is also looking to make inroads.

ANC Gauteng head of communications Nkenke Kekana said on Tuesday the provincial leadership used "tele-canvassing" this year to make contact with voters in suburban areas where it was difficult to conduct door-to-door campaigns. "There were calls for leaders to call individuals and that is what we are doing. It is a good indicator of how people are likely to vote. We have had a lot of positive feedback and we will integrate in all of our campaign going forward," Mr Kekana says.

While he could not give specific numbers of people the party has called from public phone directories, he says "the sample was huge". He also said the feedback was reassuring for the party’s confidence.

"We are confident of a high turnout, which would be good for the ANC. We are satisfied that work has been done and we have reached out to many voters. The results will show when we win Gauteng hands down."

Last week, ANC Gauteng chairman Paul Mashatile said the party was continuing its door-to-door drives in townships, where it had the strongest presence.

"In some areas we will be going to people’s homes for the fourth time. We write down problems and follow them up. It may be that because the challenges are big, we might have certain perceptions, but we do follow up."

ANC provincial secretary David Makhura said: "Bekkersdal is one place where we will be. We will be there in a different way. The mood is positive. We accept that there are people who have a different opinion on issues, and that is allowed."

Bekkersdal, Bronkhorstspruit, Tsakane and Meadowlands have all been in the throes of recent service protests.

Commenting on the DA’s township campaign, its Gauteng leader, John Moodey, said reaching voters telephonically was a trusted method of making contact. "You have to approach it differently. You have high walls and security gates and have to use different means to contact them."