ANC

The ANC has lambasted the DA/ID (which it treats as one entity in the statement) for corruption in Western Cape. A statement issued by Western Cape ANC provincial chairman Songezo Mjongile says that in Eden District Municipality (George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, etc.) the DA is fielding three candidates who were found guilty of of corruption by a disciplinary committee. In (DA-run) Swellendam the ANC has highlighted an R8 million tender process outside the rules and political pressure regarding R20 million council reserves, all to do with a company called Quadrix. The ID’s finances are also taken care of by Quadrix. The ANC wasn’t finished with the ID or the DA there… Patricia de Lille’s candidacy as DA contester for Cape Town mayor has, according to the statement, resulted in a number of nepotistic appointments in the ID and the City of Cape Town, including jobs for her son, sisters, nephew and brother-in-law. It really is a massively accusatory statement.

Read more: Politicsweb

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA yesterday claimed the DA is a threat to press freedom. Although it was World Press Freedom Day, Numsa seems to have missed the fact that the DA “delisted” Sowetan journalist, Anna Majavu, in February (three months ago when everyone else had their say about it). Numsa said: “This freedom and independence the media owes it[sic] to the gallant martyrs of media freedom produced from the ranks of the liberation movement as led by the African National Congress and vanguard party of the working class, the South African Communist Party”. Doesn’t anyone at Numsa read Jeremy Cronin’s stuff?

Read more: Politicsweb

Yesterday we reported that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had lambasted the ANC saying the party had failed its people. Well, she’s been backed her up by some bigwig political analysts including Prince Mashele, executive director of CPR, and Shadrack Gutto, director of Unisa’s Centre for African Renaissance Studies. Gutto blamed “the party’s ‘destructive’ tendency of cadre deployment” while Mashele said Winnie was exercising her right to support, yet criticise, the party.

Read more: Sowetan

Protests against ANC candidates continue as 400 ANC members gathered at the Lilian Ngoyi Sports Centre in KwaZakhele in Eastern Cape, highlighting their disagreement with candidate choices in 47 of Nelson Mandela Bay’s 60 wards. The protesters said they will not vote unless different choices were made. We hope Gwede Mantashe has a full bottle of prescription headache pills up to and including 18 May, as these recurring protests show no sign of slowing down.

Read more: Sowetan

Tony Ehrenreich, ANC mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town, has criticised the city’s response to the fire in Masiphumelele which reportedly destroyed 5,000 homes. He claimed access for fire trucks was restricted as a result of bad planning which should have been addressed a long time ago (before 2006, Tony?) and the lack of helicopters “fire-bombing” the area. To our knowledge, helicopters can’t just drop things out of the sky unless the area is clear of people first. Ehrenreich also criticised the shelter provided to those whose homes were destroyed.

Read more: Politicsweb

Jacob Zuma, speaking in Sweetwaters, Pietermartizburg, yesterday warned against “half-ANC” members – those who only support the ANC when it is good for them – “Let us not act like these individuals who are half-ANC, who, when told to step aside and give way to others decide, go[sic] and shout from the mountain top”. This message is quite obviously trying to discredit the loyalty of those critical of the party’s candidate choices. Zuma also appealed to car owners to help voters get to polling stations on 18 May.

DA

Helen Zille yesterday released the new ministerial handbook for the Western Cape parliament in direct response to the national government’s ministerial handbook (which seems to justify the purchase of virtually anything and single-handedly keeps South Africa’s luxury hotel industry profitable). Some of the specifics: All gifts or hospitality over R350 must be declared. Cabinet members may not have any business interests relating to the Western Cape government. No five-star hotel stays. Vehicles may not exceed 40% of annual member’s salary (national is 70%). All domestic flights and international flights under eight hours to be in economy class.”

Read more: Politicsweb

Lindiwe Mazibuko, DA national spokeswoman, has accused the ANC of no longer trying to attract support for itself and doing nothing other than “[hauling] out the race card in a desperate attempt to convince its own supporters not to vote for the DA”. Mazibuko said attempts to do this would fail. “All over South Africa, ANC leaders from Jacob Zuma to Julius Malema are engaged in a wild effort to rubbish some of the best examples of good governance South Africa has to offer. In doing so, they are using lies and distortions to make the tired and unfounded case that the DA is racist. It will not work.” Later today, the DA will release documents covering its delivery record in municipalities outside Cape Town. 

Read more: Politicsweb

The DA campaign in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, has suffered due to intimidation from a group of people wearing ANC T-shirts, says Desiree van der Walt, the DA leader in the province. Van der Walt said police were called in and a complaint of intimidation was laid. According to Sapa, confirmation was not possible from the police, nor was comment forthcoming from the provincial ANC.

The DA in Gauteng has written an open letter (as we do in South Africa) to the City of Joburg manager Mavela Dlamini to complain about proposed tariff hikes for 2011/12. DA councillor Vasco da Gama wrote: “There is no excuse for increases above inflation overall.” Da Gama listed a proposed 7% increase in property rates and refuse removal (if I ever get a bill I will be able to confirm whether this is the case) while water prices could rise between 6% and 14%. Businesses could suffer electricity increases of up to 31% while residents would have to cough up 8% more. All of these proposals, says Da Gama, are listed on the City of Joburg website www.joburg.co.za (http://www.joburg.org.za)

DA party strategist Ryan Coetzee says the party’s support among black South Africans has tripled in the run-up to the local government elections. At a press conference yesterday Coetzee predicted “The 2% ceiling is going to be smashed,” citing the results of regular polls.  Coetzee also said DA voters were more likely to vote in the upcoming election while ANC supporters were more likely to stay away.

IFP

Warning signs for the IFP: Jacob Zuma was in KwaMashu’s A Section, an IFP stronghold, yesterday where he visited dilapidated homes built before 1994 and which are unable to accommodate the growing number of residents in the area. Almost all residents Zuma visited expressed concerns about housing.  The reason we have reported this under “IFP” is because it is an IFP-run council and in the 2009 general election, the IFP took a complete pasting from the ANC in KZN. Will this translate into local government election changes? We expect so.

The group led by Zanele Mgwaza-Msibi, who broke away from the IFP in January to start the NFP, is having a tough time of it with a few members leaking back into the party they so proudly stormed out of not that long ago. Unfortunately for Mgwaza-Msibi, the trend continued into the junior levels of her party as the IFP has happily welcomed back members into the IFP Youth Brigade.

Cope

Cosatu has flayed the politically experienced Cope candidate Pakes Dikgetsi, a defector from the ANC, for the Sol Plaatje Municipality (Kimberley), saying he was never particularly good in the first place. Dikgetsi served as the municipality’s MEC for housing when he represented the ANC, but Cosatu said, “This is the man who built the uninhabitable houses of Soul City with no streets and no electricity during his tenure as MEC” and “The people of Leratong Park are still living in conditions of squalor because Dikgetsi delayed the development of Leratong Park for no reason.  In Pampierstad toilets were built in an open veld and there were no houses built next to them.” We wonder if Cosatu backed the ANC in the Sol Plaatje Municipality while Dikgetsi was serving.

Read more: Politicsweb

Cape Party

The Cape Party has declared that Patricia de Lille is too radical to become mayor of Cape Town. Yup, the totally non-radical party which wants Western and Northern Cape to declare that it is its own country.

Miscellaneous

One of the parties which probably won’t make a serious dent in any council formulae is the Dagga Party whose leader was unfortunately arrested last week due to… possession of a small amount of dagga.

Read more: EWN

Reuters has summed up the political and social landscape in South Africa at the moment.

Photo: Supporters greet South African President Jacob Zuma as he campaigns in Richmond, 70 km (43 miles) east of Durban, May 3, 2011. South Africans will vote in municipal elections on May 18, 2011. REUTERS/Rogan Ward.