国际英语新闻:S. African ANC confident of winning upcoming elections: official

CAPE TOWN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Ace Magashule voiced confidence on Saturday that his party would win the upcoming elections.

Magashule was speaking as he kicked off a two-day campaign in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, which is administered by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).

Of the nine provinces in the country, the Western Cape is the only province that is not run by the ANC.

The ANC, he said, can make inroads into places under the DA administration after the elections.

South Africa will hold general elections on May 8 to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. The elections, the sixth since the end of apartheid in 1994, will determine who will become the next president.

Addressing people's concern over housing and electricity, Magashule said the ANC is in a better position to solve these problems.

Magashule brushed aside corruption allegations against him, saying he was focusing on elections.

There were people who were trying to distract the ANC and deviate its attention and focus on the elections, he said.

Allegations against him and other ANC leaders won't have any impact on the governing party, Magashule said.

Magashule has been embroiled in corruption scandals, exposed by a newly published book Gangster State which centers around Magashule's alleged involvement in years of corruption while he was Free State premier.

Magashule has denied any wrongdoing during his time as Free State premier and vowed to take legal action against the book author.