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SA Electioneering Diary – 16 May

SA Electioneering Diary – 16 May

It's been a full weekend. The ANC's Siyanqoba rally, bias allegations thrown at the SABC and the SAPS, Zille speeches in Khayelitsha and Mpumalanga, a verbal spat between Julius Malema and Mangosuthu Buthelezi, defections, a DA councillor busted for calling traffic police "faggots" on his Facebook page... ah, elections. By SIMON WILLIAMSON.

ANC

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe told the Sunday Times the ruling party is shocked by the the opposition’s “theft”, regarding the DA’s claim it is the party which will realise the aspirations of Mandela, Hani etc. “What I know is that Chris Hani, Walter Sisulu, Mandela, Luthuli, Tambo and everybody that the DA tried to usurp as theirs will never wear a blue T-shirt,” said Mantashe. He also went on to say that the ANC would increase its majority, but you’ll probably see a lot of that here before you get to the end.

Read more: Sunday Times

The ANC beat the DA in the liberation game yesterday anyway at the Siyanqoba rally at FNB Stadium (which you know as Soccer City) during Jacob Zuma’s speech in which he reminded the 90,000-strong crowd what actually went down during apartheid. Zuma quoted Hendrik Verwoerd’s assertions that “Bantu” people in “European” communities would never need mathematics as they would not rise above certain forms of labour, and Punt Jansen’s quote: “An African might find that ‘the big boss’ only spoke Afrikaans or only spoke English.” Zuma then said: “We have forgiven, but we should not forget. Each vote that we cast for the ANC in each election is a declaration that we don’t want to go back to the era of racism.”

Read more: TimesLIVE

Zuma’s full speech at the Siyanqoba rally: Politicsweb

Julius Malema had a rather busy weekend, exclaiming, “We are going to take Cape Town from the madam [Helen Zille], we are going to take Midvaal from the madam.” He claimed the opposition parties knew how powerful the ANC was, “Even the madam knows. As long as we are still alive, the freedom will be defended”. Helen Zille wasn’t Malema’s only target. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, IFP leader, also came in for a barrage of insults, but more on that later.

The ANC’s final election statement summed up all the criticisms and allegations it has made against the DA this election including removal of ANC posters in Midvaal and Cape Town, the Verwoerd statue, corrupt councillors, nepotism involving Patricia de Lille, the Manuel pamphlets, the Makhaza toilets, attacking the SA Human Rights Council and Helen Zille’s salary. The controversial advertisement regarding the provision of electricity to Tambo Square was also included.

Read more: Politicsweb

DA strategist Ryan Coetzee responded to the allegations about the advertisement being fraudulent in a statement released on Friday morning. The ANC, after an IOL story on the matter, accused the DA of paying someone with a food voucher to say that the DA had given her electricity even though she had no access to it. Coetzee refutes all these allegations, claims the woman in question does have electricity and explains how electricity upgrades have been rolled out in the part of Tambo Square.

Read more: Politicsweb, IOL

Cosatu made one last push for South Africans to vote for the ANC on Friday listing numerous references to how people’s lives had changed since 1994 but still noting concerns: “People are rightly angry at corruption, waste and the slow delivery of services in many communities, but boycotting elections or worse still voting for pro-business and anti-worker opposition parties will be a huge mistake”. The statement ended with “Victory to the ANC on 18 May!” Weird that on the very same day this statement was released, SA Municipal Workers’ Union released a statement rubbishing the Sol Plaaitjie Municipality for oncorrect procedures regarding the city manager’s salary hike. “We are demanding that Municipal Officials who are involved be investigated immediately and if found to be part of this corruption, they must immediately be dismissed and prosecuted.”

Read more: Politicsweb

Tony Ehrenreich, ANC mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town, will sit on the city council even if he does not win the municipality’s election. “I’m standing for a position on the council, so I must serve on the council. It would be improper for me stand for a position and just because I’m not the mayor, I don’t go and take that up.”

The ANC Youth League has claimed that the DA is a “racist formation of the rich white people” and that the party pays black people to wear DA T-shirts.

Read more: Politicsweb


DA

The DA lambasted the SABC for its broadcast of the ANC’s Siyanqoba rally, accusing it of bias.  The national broadcaster did show all of the election launches of South Africa’s political parties, but only the closing rally of the ANC. James Selfe, a DA federal chairman said the DA had requested coverage for its final rally and asked whether the ANC’s would be covered. Initially, the SABC was going to cover the DA’s, but then reneged. Selfe said, “Given the SABC’s choice, to cover one party live and not another and thereby to promote one choice over another, the DA must question the circumstances under which the SABC reneged on its initial decision. Was it called by Luthuli House?” The SABC dismissed the allegations through group executive of news and current affairs Phil Molefe who said, “The SABC is satisfied that its overall coverage of this election has been fair, consistent, and equitable. In fact, the DA enjoyed greater coverage in proportion to its current representation in local government.”

Read more (James Selfe’s statement) at Politicsweb

A quote by Peter Bruce, editor of Business Day, was used on a DA pamphlet without specifying that it was from a weekly column he writes. Bruce was upset that the DA had used the quote without his permission – “If they had asked me for permission I wouldn’t have given it to them… (it gives an) impression that I’m endorsing them”.

Read more: TimesLIVE

Helen Zille will be at the Bara taxi rank (Chris Hani Road, Soweto) to discuss service delivery concerns with commuters. Catch her at 10:00.

Helen Zille’s speech at the culmination of the DA’s election campaign at the Oliver Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha called on voters to lend the DA their vote and if the DA fails them, then to take it back. She compared some of the ANC-governed areas to which she had been in the run-up to the election and said, “But our record speaks for itself. Every independent study shows that Cape Town is the best metro in the country by far for service delivery. And that Midvaal offers people a better quality of life than anywhere else in Gauteng.  And the DA-governed Baviaans is the best municipality in Eastern Cape for service delivery and revenue collection.” She finished off with “En stem DA. Vote DA. Votela iDA beka u-X wakho kwi DA.”

Read more: Politicsweb

In Mpumalanga Zille told voters service delivery protests do not work if the right to vote is not exercised. “When I was here in August, people said to me: ‘Helen, please fix things for us here. I explained that the DA will do its best to help, but there is a limit to what we can do in opposition. To really make a difference, we need to be in government’.” And “The only way to bring about real change in a democracy is through your vote. It is no good voting ANC on Wednesday and toyi-toying on Thursday. If you vote for the wrong party, you only have yourself to blame. Because the reality is that voters get the government they deserve.”

Read more: Politicsweb

A rant on Facebook two years ago has landed DA councillor for the Bez Valley/Betrams area, Carlos da Rocha, in deep water. After he was fined for not wearing a seat belt he wrote on his Facebook page: “You know ma china very soon im gonna let one have it (referring to metro cops) with a pick handle. its coming and its closer than they realise…” and then “I feel those metro cops are a bunch of faggots”. The remarks, made two years ago, had Da Rocha apologise with one of those, “If I offended anyone, I apologise” apologies. It was left to James Selfe to get stuck in properly saying Da Rocha had made the comments before he joined the DA, would be given a mentor in the Gauteng legislature and would be thrown out if he uttered such unacceptable things.

Read more: Politicsweb

The DA will be running live election coverage on Twitter on election day from the IEC headquarters in Pretoria. Follow the hashtag #LGEResults.

The DA’s Eastern Cape leader, Bobby Stevenson, said his party should see huge growth in Eastern Cape after the forthcoming election. He mentioned Nelson Mandela Bay and Ikwezi, and expects to retain Baviaans. “There is a new freedom struggle that is being waged in South Africa today. It is for service delivery, jobs, houses and infrastructure that work. The DA is at the forefront of that struggle.”

Read more: Politicsweb


IFP

Two senior IFP members in the Umhlatuze municipality (Richards Bay and Empangeni), Moses Vandayar and Neville Naidoo, have defected to the ANC. An ANC spokesperson welcomed their arrival and expected 1000 activists who worked with them to join the ANC too.

Julius Malema blasted veteran IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi saying,  “There is no democracy in the IFP, an old man who is refusing to go on retirement even when he is sick wants to die president of the IFP.” He accused Buthelezi of having diabetes and then said, “We don’t know why he can’t retire and go and look after his health. You can’t elect sick presidents, we want people who are healthy who will be able to serve us, who will move from one house to the other without resting in between,” Malema said while making gestures of an old person battling with back aches.

Buthelezi has never been one to back down. He called the ANCYL president “deranged” in return. “The way he [Malema] pokes his nose [in IFP issues] and speaks show he was not properly raised from an early age. I think him deranged. I even doubt he had parents. If you grow up in a home with parents, they would teach you how to behave.”

Read more: TimesLIVE

The IFP lambasted the South African Police Service for being biased against the party. “One should not doubt where the loyalty of the SAPS lies when the head of police, Bheki Cele is also a known activist of the ANC, an NEC member of the ANC and a loyal and close friend of ANC President Jacob Zuma,” said Albert Mcwango, the IFP’s national organiser. He also said, “Yesterday, a verbal altercation broke out between members of different political parties. The police intervened, but only to harass and manhandle IFP women and children. Later two young women, both IFP supporters, were arrested and held in prison overnight for no reason.” Serious allegations worthy of a follow-up.

Mangosuthu Buthelezi said only “discredited individuals” broke away from his party to form the National Freedom Party with Zanele Mgwaza-Msibi. Weird how he never mentioned that before the NFP was formed.

Read more: Politicsweb


UDM

Bantu Holimisa, president of the UDM, said more money needs to be spent in rural areas in Western Cape. “The majority of citizens of Western Cape are not receiving the required services, so it is going to be important for national ministers to take charge of the budget they allocate to these provinces,” he said.

Read more: EWN


FF+

The FF+ laid a charge with the IEC, complaining about Zuma allegedly intimidating voters with rhetoric about bad luck and having to explain to their ancestors if they turned their backs on the ANC. “Zuma’s actions are firstly intimidating in nature in that he fills voters with fear about the consequences of a vote for any other party than for the ANC and secondly he abuses his position of traditional authority to influence voters to vote for the ANC,” Pieter Mulder, leader of the FF+, said.


ACDP

In the strangest and most glass-half-full bit of electioneering we have seen in quite some time, Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party, said it wants the votes of homosexuals and prostitutes – both groups of which its manifesto clearly opposes. “The fact is we don’t go around asking people what (sexual orientation) are you when it’s election time. We just say, ‘Vote for the ACDP because of what the ACDP can do for you’.” Afterwards, not before the election, is when the actual problems would begin, methinks.

Read more: TimesLIVE


Cape Party

Adrian Kay, deputy leader of the Cape Party, said a secondary wave of advertising was creating a tide of momentum which could see gains on election day. Kay also said the Cape Party was committed to keeping the ANC out and would side with the DA if coalitions were required to govern. “What the media and other so called ‘analysts’ have neglected is the number of non-voters and undecided voters” he said. We find it hard to believe that the media has forgotten about undecided voters.


Miscellaneous

Pietermaritzburg (Msunduzi municipality) could be hotly contested after a tumultuous  financial period. The city’s finances were booming up until 2004 when the ANC took over from the IFP, reports TimesLIVE.

Read more: TimesLIVE

The Sunday Times believes political parties do not aggressively campaign for the gay vote. If the religious electioneering is anything to go by, it’s not a huge wonder.

Read more: TimesLIVE

Ferial Haffajee, City Press editor and Daily Maverick columnist, previews the mayoral race in the City of Johannesburg.

Read more: News24


Toilet blitz

Jacob Zuma said he finally understands why there are service delivery protests after the story about the open toilets in Free State broke, which, if true, means he has been severely out of touch with the electorate for years. Tokyo Sexwale, minister of human settlements, has promised action over the open toilets.


 

Photo: Supporters of the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) cheer during their final rally in Soweto May 15, 2011. South Africans will vote in municipal elections on May 18. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Gallery

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