President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday kicked off electioneering for next month's countrywide local government elections with a promise of free water and electricity to poor communities.
"Some of our people are very poor and cannot pay for services," Mbeki told a rally of his African National Congress (ANC) party in this Western Province farming town on the edge of the vast semi-desert Karoo region.
"We will ensure the poor get some water and electricity free of charge but we are also saying that some of us who can afford to pay must pay," he said.
Launching the ANC's election manifesto during the rally, Mbeki said the ANC did not make promises it could not keep.
"So when we say in this manifesto let us work together for a better life for all ... we mean what we say."
His promise of free basic services was met with loud cheers from the largely subdued crowd at a soccer stadium in Beaufort West, the SAPA news agency reported.
The date of the election was due to have been announced on Saturday, but Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi said a dispute between the government and the country's powerful traditional leaders had delayed the announcement.
Traditional leaders, who complain that a proposed local government system will erode their powers, have threatened to disrupt the polls.
A technical committee representing government and the tribal chiefs is due to meet on Monday in a bid to resolve the dispute -- BEAUFORT WEST, South Africa(AFP)
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