South Africa

South Africa

LGE 2016: Meeting Mbeki – EFF steals the Monday media cycle

LGE 2016: Meeting Mbeki – EFF steals the Monday media cycle

The first votes have been cast as the local government elections are getting under way. Political parties on Monday used the opportunity for some last-minute campaigning. The EFF won the day with the political stunt of the season. By GREG NICOLSON.

Thabo Mbeki has finally emerged during the local government election campaign after continued speculation over whether he would campaign for the ANC. Briefly posing for photos outside his Killarney home on Monday, he wasn’t, however, with the ANC. The EFF on Monday went to Mbeki’s house to canvas the former president’s vote and introduce him to its leaders. Mbeki afterwards emerged for a photo alongside Julius Malema, who was instrumental in defeating the former president at the ANC’s 2007 Polokwane conference and removing him from the office a year later.

Mbeki didn’t address the media but Malema said the former president told the EFF his vote was a secret. Malema said he was confident Mbeki “would do the right thing” after it raised certain issues. The ANC’s Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau, who is vying for another term, met Mbeki recently at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, and Malema took a swipe at the regional party leader:

“What makes us more happy is that we were not received in the foundation offices, we were received at home. I saw some mayoral candidate went to the foundation offices,” he said. Despite their previous differences, Malema said the meeting wasn’t awkward and said Mbeki’s Africanist values resonate with the EFF.

Mbeki’s spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga said the visit was a standard part of election campaigning. “It’s a normal thing that any party would do. If the DA or ANC or any other party knocked on his door, he would oblige,” he said. He said the ANC aims to build an inclusive society and would not view accepting a visit from the EFF as “criminal”. Still, Mbeki went the extra mile by appearing for photos in front of the media. The media could have easily been kept from getting a picture of Mbeki and Malema if it wasn’t invited to move down the driveway by security after the meeting.

Photo: Former President Thabo Mbeki walks with EFF leaders Dali Mpofu, Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu and Godrich Gardee, who were canvassing his vote ahead of the local government elections. (Greg Nicolson)

Mbeki’s refusal to campaign for the ANC, while appearing with the EFF, may or may not be an attempt to express his views about the party. It follows another former President, Kgalema Motlanthe, who did campaign for the ANC, to nevertheless publicly question the party’s direction:

“It’s almost as though the country is on autopilot. There’s no leadership being provided,” Motlanthe was quoted by the City Press. “It may be possible at some point to salvage the ANC from this race to the bottom. But it is also equally possible that the ANC may so thoroughly discredit itself that there may be nothing to salvage.”

While the EFF was pulling the political stunt of the season, the IEC on Monday began collecting the first votes of the local government elections as political parties continued with their last days of campaigning.

Waiting to cast his ballot shortly after 8:00 on Monday morning, IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini was briefly delayed. The Dainfern College polling station was fully operational, but Mashinini had to wait for the SABC to take the scene live and walk viewers through the process, or at least the parts that can be filmed. The IEC is clearly organised, more so than the media, the chairperson joked.

Photo: IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini casts his special vote ballot during the local government elections on Monday at Dainfern College. (Greg Nicolson)

The first ballots of the 2016 local government elections were cast on Monday as voters across the country visited polling stations to cast special votes and IEC officials started making home visits. A record number of applications for special votes were approved for the 2016 elections and the IEC said it is a chance to test its systems ahead of the main vote on Wednesday.

The IEC approved 719,222 special vote applications to vote on Monday and Tuesday for people who cannot make it to a voting station on Wednesday. Such voters, like Mashinini, might be working, or are can’t make it to a polling station, such as the elderly or those with physical or mental conditions. IEC officials make home visits to confined voters, home visits accounting for 315,597 of the total approved special votes.

“South Africans, our democracy is something that we cherish. It’s something that we have to keep for our prosperity. We are encouraging everyone to vote,” said Mashinini. He noted the 20 years that have passed since the signing of the Constitution and the 22 years since the first democratic vote and said registered voters should ensure they vote to have their say in municipal issues, such as service delivery, the economy, and the functioning of cities.

The IEC said the delivery of voting materials to stations was concluded over the weekend and was confident the process would go smoothly. The delivery included 73.9 billion ballot papers delivered to 22,612 voting stations. There are 4,649 unique ballot papers with political parties and independents contesting each municipality and ward.

“Thus far, only one incident involving theft of ballots appears for ward 39. The police as well as Commission officials acted swiftly to deal with this situation. The stolen ballot papers where quarantined and black-listed using their serial numbers. New ballot papers using different security features have already been printed and dispatched to the correct voting stations.

Thousands of ballot papers destined for Ward39, Soweto, were stolen last week but the IEC said it and the police have dealt with the problem. “The stolen ballot papers where quarantined and black-listed using their serial numbers. New ballot papers using different security features have already been printed and dispatched to the correct voting stations,” said the IEC in a statement.

There is always the threat of protests preventing voting in communities and Sowetan on Monday reported a hall in Mareetsane, North West, meant to serve as a voting station was burnt down last week. “Anything that happens to our planned voting infrastructure we also have back-ups,” said Mashinini. Mobile tents can be set up if there are any problems with voting stations. “If there are concerns, if there are grievances, our democracy provides avenues for those to be resolved,” he urged communities who might be planning to protest on Wednesday.

The IEC on Monday cancelled special votes in Vuwani, Limpopo, which recently saw over 20 schools burnt over dissatisfaction with a proposed municipal merger. Over 40,000 people were set to cast special votes in the region but few turned out on Monday. The IEC will continue with special votes on Tuesday.

The ANC and DA remained confident on Monday. Western Cape Premier and former DA leader Helen Zille, who has not been prominent during her party’s campaign, was in Alexandra, joining the party’s Johannesburg candidate Herman Mashaba. On her few appearances during the campaign she said, “I wanted to play a background role.” She has been going where the party asked her and filling in the gaps in campaigning, she said.

“We’ve been moving,” said Zille of the party’s improved chances in this election, citing the DA’s gains in the last two elections across Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane. New leaders such as Mashaba and Solly Msimanga have helped as the party has continued to grow, she said. Zille slammed the ANC and President Jacob Zuma for questioning black people who vote for the DA and for saying the party shouldn’t use the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela in its campaign messaging.

Photo: Western Cape Premier, and former DA leader, Helen Zille campaigns at Alexandra’s Helen Joseph Women’s hostel on Monday ahead of local government elections. (Greg Nicolson)

Asked how the DA’s experience in coalition governments might come into play, Zille said the party would obviously prefer to win municipalities outright. “I do think we have a lot of experience in coalitions. They’re very, very difficult to run, to be frank,” she said.

“I can’t believe the day is here,” said Mashaba. After a seven-month campaign he has lost seven kilograms, which he claimed was due to the stress and anger of witnessing poor living conditions. Mashaba was still confident the DA could take a majority in Johannesburg. “Now it’s up to the voters. They’ve got to come out and vote,” he said.

The DA leaders visited Alexandra’s Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel and viewed the poor standards of living and service. Party posters in the hostel were dominated by the ANC, and to a lesser extent EFF and IFP, and the DA will have to significantly boost its vote in traditional ANC strongholds like Alexandra to rival the ruling party.

The ANC remains confident voters will continue to trust the party. “For us victory is certain. We are certain of victory because our people have shown us that they know the work of the ANC. Victory is certain because we remain committed to serving the needs of our people. We must encourage all our supporters to go to the polling station. We must demystify the notion that the ANC has already won. Every vote counts and every one of us must be counted,” said ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe in a statement on Monday.

“We have gone to every community – rural and urban, rich and poor. We have spoken to communities about the significant strides we have made together and our commitments for the future. This election, like the ones before it, is about people. It is about the ANC renewing our mandate to continue creating a better life for our people. We have listened and understood the challenges and we continue to address them and have plans to do even more,” Mantashe continued.

While the local government elections have been called the most contested in democratic South Africa, Mantashe said the ANC has the same goal as it does in all elections – “to win based on the confidence our people have in the work of the ANC”. DM

Photo: Former President Thabo Mbeki and EFF leader Julius Malema share a laugh while the EFF went to canvass his vote ahead of the local government elections. (Greg Nicolson)

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