Western Cape Politics [Archive]

Die Kapenaar

October 6th, 2008, 11:42 PM

2009 and beyond

Filed under: SA Today — Tags: elections 2009, helen zille, Kgalema Motlanthe, thabo mbeki — Niki McQueen @ 2:20 pm

SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

A WEEKLY LETTER FROM THE LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

In the last fortnight, we saw the recall of President Thabo Mbeki by his own party; his subsequent resignation; the resignation of the Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo- Ngcuka; the resignation of several senior Ministers; and the swearing in of a new President, Kgalema Motlanthe. Rumours of an ANC split now abound.

The events have been described by some commentators as the biggest political crisis to hit South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. And the present turmoil will last for a while yet, just like the turbulence in the international banking system.

But if we look below the bubbling surface, we will see the real hope, indeed far more than a possibility, that over the next five years, South Africa’s constitutionalists will win the struggle for our country’s soul. We will survive our Constitution’s adolescence, and the crises this phase inevitably brings, to emerge a more mature, stable and consolidated democracy to take our country to the next level.

The events of the past few months have exposed and revealed what is really going on, and what danger this entails for our country. This is a much healthier situation than the state of denial we have been in for so long.

More and more people understand what we mean when we talk about constitutionalism, and the need for institutions to limit the power of the ruling party. This new awareness, which has permeated the consciousness of our society’s opinion makers on all fronts, provides fertile ground for the next crucial step in the evolution of our democracy.

The Nicholson judgment has reverberated through our institutions of state, alerting incumbents, from the police to the public broadcaster and the Independent Electoral Commission that their role is to serve the people - not the party - and that there is a distinction between the two. This may seem trite in a longstanding constitutional democracy like Britain. But we easily forget that these insights evolved here over centuries. In South Africa these lessons must be learnt in the space of a few short years, if our transition is to succeed. And all indications are that we are learning them.

But the greatest cause for optimism is that the foundations have been laid for the next crucial step in the evolution of our democracy. We are moving away from the current configuration with one single dominant party and a fragmented opposition. The dominant party is beginning to fracture and the opposition is beginning to coalesce around common core values.

This process started in 2006 when the Democratic Alliance emerged as the largest party in Cape Town and managed to come to power in a six party coalition, securing a majority of a single seat in the 210-seat Council. Against all odds, this coalition has worked extremely well, and facilitated a convergence around the DA’s policies for an open, opportunity-driven society. The events in Cape Town had national significance. They were, in effect, the start of the realignment of politics.

Our next major step is about nine months away, at the general election of 2009. In this crucial benchmark election, we must seek to hold the ANC below a 2/3 majority nationally, and we must win power in at least one province, either on our own or in a coalition with other opposition parties. There is a distinct likelihood that we will succeed in the Western Cape.

This task will be made easier if the ANC splits before the next election, but this development is not a foregone conclusion. Last week an ANC breakaway seemed a certainty. This week the probability is retreating, and is now just a possibility, as Kgalema Motlanthe moves to rally his disaffected forces, and allay the ANC’s internal tensions; and as the enormous difficulties of launching a new party so close to an election dawn on the major proponents of the initiative. But whether there is a breakaway now or not, one thing is certain: the ANC’s divisions will deepen in the years ahead and its disintegration, from a position of almost complete hegemony for the past 14 years, has begun.

If we succeed in our 2009 electoral objectives, we will show that the DA’s policies to promote an open, opportunity-driven society for all produce better results than the ANC’s closed, patronage-driven society. We will demonstrate that our talk about constitutionalism has real practical implications for people who aren’t interested in political theory, but want homes, decent education and health care for their families.

If we can demonstrate progress, step by step, (as we have been doing in Cape Town), by the time the 2011 local government election is upon us, the realignment will be well advanced. It could take different forms, either as a growing coalition of various component parties, or preferably, as a new political entity, free of the baggage of the past, to take on the challenge of the future.

The possibilities of the 2011 election are even more exciting than those of 2009 because we have the real prospect of winning power in South Africa’s major cities. Already the urban electorate is showing encouraging signs of breaking the political logjam. Just last week an Ipsos Markinor poll of urban voters with landline telephones showed the ANC and the DA neck and neck in the major cities - 27% of respondents said they would vote for the ANC, 26% said they would vote for the DA and 27% were undecided.

This is significant, and as the realignment progresses, and the move from the ANC continues, this trend will escalate. And the DA will be the core of the alternative, either because we progressively extend our voter support base, or because events trigger a more dramatic series of events that shape the realignment. No-one can predict exactly how this will happen, but the trend is crystal clear.

By the next general election in 2014 - just five and a half years from now - a new political entity will be a pillar of the political landscape, with real prospects of winning the national election. Some key names of South African politics - currently scattered across many parties or outside of politics altogether - will find the same political home, and we will nominate a presidential candidate and shadow cabinet that can carry us through the real test of any emerging democracy - a peaceful change of power through the ballot box.

That is the vision. And it is not wishful thinking. The political currents, growing stronger below the surface, are propitious. We have to row extremely hard, sometimes with the current (and sometimes across it) to extend our support base, continue the dialogue already underway behind the scenes, win power wherever we can, and then govern well to demonstrate the alternative in practice to change people’s lives.

As long as we keep faith in our project, the prospects for South Africa are good and the future is bright. I have little doubt that if we read it right, make the right moves and work hard enough, history will show that the events of the past fortnight were a catalyst for positive change in our country.

Helen Zille

Die Kapenaar

October 6th, 2008, 11:52 PM

I would like to see the next premier coloured and from the DA. That way we can have good policy and administration and deflect any racial cards which will be pulled out by the ANC. However much I support the DA, I hope they don't put Theuns up! He just doesn't appeal to the people! Change please!!

I think the ID is a one-woman show and the most unreliable opposition party. I will never forget what it did to Cape politics after the 2006 elections. The only reason why it's still being voted for is becuase De Lille is coloured (I hate racial voting!!). I can see De Lille being elected and then backstabbing everyone who supported her (the PAC has good experience in that). Go read her wikipedia page, not a such a good biography for a leader IMO. Go on the party's website, it only talks bout De Lille, but it doesn't show the rest of leadership (probably becuase it's white and they don't want advertise it lol). A low party IMO.

However I would agree to a DA premiership and an ID mayorship (led by Grindrod of course!). De Lille should stay in her place as an MP.

I agree with you about Theuns Botha. He would be like a lead balloon.

I could live with what you said about a coloured DA premier and Grindrod as mayor of Cape Town. Perhaps Dan Plato, DA unicity mayco member of housing, could become premier. He would be the DA strongest coloured candidate for the premiership given his experience in both the current Zille and previous Marais/Morkel city administrations

Having Grindrod as ID mayor of Cape Town would also relieve Helen Zille of her second job in Cape Town to focus on her strength as DA national leader.

Die Kapenaar

October 6th, 2008, 11:54 PM

Push for ANC split in W Province gains speed

October 06 2008 at 12:43PM

Hundreds of ANC branch representatives in the Western Cape are expected to push for a split from the provincial leadership as moves to establish a new party gather momentum across the country.

Dissident branches across the province are to seek a fresh mandate from disgruntled members after being told at a meeting in Langa on Saturday that Luthuli House "did not bother to respond" to their memorandum to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe alleging there had been "massive corruption" influencing the selection of delegates in the run-up to the provincial conference.

About 500 members from more than 100 branches were at the meeting on Saturday.

'The NEC deliberately ignored the memorandum to frustrate us'
Deputy chair Ebrahim Sawant of the ANC's Dullah Omar region - the largest in the province - said there "is a lot of dissatisfaction that the national executive committee (NEC) did not respond to the memorandum".

"The NEC deliberately ignored the memorandum to frustrate us," he said.

"The feeling among members is that we have exhausted all internal processes of the ANC and it is clear the ANC is not taking its own members seriously."

Sawant would not be drawn into the type of response members were expecting, but it is understood they are fed up with the national leadership's foot-dragging over the issue, and talk of a split from the ANC appears to be gaining traction.

The ANC's NEC sent former ANC Youth League leader Fikile Mbalula to investigate claims of factionalism in the province earlier this year. But before he was done, NEC member Tony Yengeni whisked him off to an initiation school, from which Mbalula was released on Sunday on Friday. The conference went ahead without his report.

'... it is clear the ANC is not taking its own members seriously'
When the conference finally began last month, a large group of members attended a parallel meeting - not sanctioned by the party leadership - at the Langa Sports Complex in protest at what they said was an "illegitimate conference".

The official conference responded by adopting a resolution to dissolve the Dullah Omar regional executive, but has yet to carry it out.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said on Sunday the party's response to the memorandum would be finalised "when all the consultation has been done".

The developments in the Western Cape mirror events in other parts of the country where friction in the party is evolving into revolt, with disaffected members refining plans to form a breakaway party.

Senior alliance leaders met ANC president Jacob Zuma on Friday evening to formulate a counter-strategy, apparently in anticipation of an announcement this week of a new political formation outside the ANC.

This followed a meeting of a group of ANC members sympathetic to former president Thabo Mbeki in Johannesburg on Friday. Similar meetings took place in Limpopo, Free State and the Eastern and Western Cape. News of these development caused Zuma to abandon a planned trip to the Eastern Cape.

Meanwhile, former ANC chair and defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota launched a renewed attack on the party leadership this weekend, while Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said he would not vote in the next election if the discord in the ANC was not resolved.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on October 06, 2008

Die Kapenaar

October 6th, 2008, 11:56 PM

UDM to launch election campaign in George today

UDM is expected to launch its election campaign in George in the Southern Cape today

October 05, 2008, 12:30
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is expected to launch its election campaign in George in the Southern Cape today.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa is in George to officially open the first regional office in the region. He is also expected to welcome about 350 members who recently joined the party.

The UDM's Western Cape chairperson, Dumisani Ximbi, says the party has chosen George because they enjoy popular support in the area.

SABC News

Die Kapenaar

October 6th, 2008, 11:57 PM

ANC hijacked by communist elements: UDM

October 05, 2008, 16:00
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa says the ANC has allowed itself to be hijacked by communist elements within its ranks. He was speaking in George (in the Southern Cape) where the party is welcoming new members and also opening its first regional office.

He says infighting in the ANC has led to talk of establishing a new party.

His remarks come amid persistent reports that disgruntled members of the ruling party are planning to break away and establish a new political formation. Holomisa says the honeymoon is over for the ANC.

SABC News

briker

October 7th, 2008, 03:13 AM

This guy is such a joke and a puppet. He'll always be remembered as the Transkeian fatcat who accepted and squandered apartheid-SA money to build an international airport at Umtata...for his own plane. He has no sense of accountability and responsibility.

EduardSA

October 7th, 2008, 09:31 AM

Having Grindrod as ID mayor of Cape Town would also relieve Helen Zille of her second job in Cape Town to focus on her strength as DA national leader.

Bru that is so sexist! I hate when people say Zille can't be mayor and leader of the DA! Why not? Only becuase she's a woman? Mbeki, Mandela, De Klerk and most of the world leaders were or are both leaders of the parties and head of state/government! Being both mayor and leader doesn't affect one another in capacity and competence, it's just a stupid, sexist and sensationalist remark created by the ANC and ID to force Zille out of office!! I bet if it was Mr Zille it would be a different story....

briker

October 8th, 2008, 02:11 AM

Shame, don't the opposition have other prospective leaders? They should recruit and train new future leaders? What if Godzille burns out, who's going to take over? I wish Boesak would get on the political train again. He's still got a lot to offer.

briker

October 8th, 2008, 04:58 AM

Tyd ryp vir organisasie, sê Boesak

LIEZEL DE LANGE
07/10/2008

Kaapstad. – Die tyd is ryp vir die burgerlike samelewing om saam te staan om politici tot verantwoording te roep.

Daarom wil hy ’n nasionale burgerlike organisasie, geskoei op die United Democratic Front (UDF), in die lewe help bring, het dr. Allan Boesak gisteraand gesê.
“Ons het ná 1994 alles in die han*de van die politici gelos. Dit was ’n fout,” het hy gesê.
“Soos die kerke, het die burgerlike samelewing stil geword.”

Volgens hom moet die burgerlike samelewing weer bymekaar kom, soos in 1983 met die UDF gebeur het.

“Mense het vertroue in politici en ons demokratiese instellings verloor. Dit is al op die punt dat iemand soos emeritus-aartsbiskop Desmond Tutu nie wil stem nie.”

Die idee is nie om ’n politieke party te stig nie, maar wel ’n burgerlike beweging met ’n politieke agenda. Boesak het gesê talle mense het hom die afgelope maande genader om ’n herleefde UDF op die been te bring.
“Daar is by talle Suid-Afrikaners ’n brandende begeerte om nie die land af te skryf nie.

“Hulle moet nou opstaan, want ons kan nie toeskouers van die demokrasie wees nie,” het hy gesê.

Die Kapenaar

October 9th, 2008, 09:37 PM

ANC faction snubs meeting

October 09 2008 at 06:02PM

Disgruntled members of the disbanded executive of the ANC's Dullah Omar region have snubbed a meeting with the party's Western Cape bosses, a spokesperson for the dissidents said on Thursday.

Provincial leaders had called the meeting for 4pm on Wednesday afternoon at the provincial headquarters in Cape Town.

They said it was to formally convey the decision of the recent ANC provincial conference that the Dullah Omar executive be disbanded.

Dullah Omar secretary Mbulelo Ncedana said on Thursday that the 20 members of the regional executive were notified of the meeting by his office as well as by the province.

"We did not go to that meeting because we do not recognise those people," he said.

He said one or two members might have gone, but "99 percent", including chairwoman Tozama Bevu, did not.

An ANC provincial official confirmed to Sapa that the meeting did not take place.

He said however this was because Ncedana, to whom the original invitation letter was sent, had not informed the other members of the executive of it.

During last month's provincial conference, Ncedana led a breakaway group in a meeting at an another venue, claiming the conference was rigged. - Sapa

Die Kapenaar

October 9th, 2008, 09:43 PM

If Mbulelo Ncedana is forced out of the ANC, then a by-election would need to be held since he is a ward councillor representing Khayelitsha. Other ANC ward councillors in Cape Town may follow suit.

Would be interesting to see if he contests under an independent banner or the new Lekota dissident grouping against the ANC.

If ANC ward councillors in other Western Cape towns quit it could change the balance of power in some municipal councils where the ANC is in charge such as Knysna & Stellenbosch.

Die Kapenaar

October 10th, 2008, 01:09 AM

ANC split a positive step for SA politics: Zille

October 09, 2008, 21:30

The formation of a breakaway party will check power abuse and anti-constitutionalism in the ANC, DA leader Helen Zille said today.

She told a public meeting in Calvinia in the Northern Cape that the ANC had started disintegrating, and this paved the way for the reconfiguration of politics in South Africa. "This is a positive step, and will have significant implications in several provinces in the 2009 election -- particularly the Western Cape and the Northern Cape."

It meant the Democratic Alliance (DA) was in pole position to win in the Western Cape, and the ANC was likely to lose the Northern Cape as well, Zille said. Former Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota's planned breakaway party was likely to take many of the Northern Cape's current ANC branches and tear the party down the middle in that province.

"A coalition of opposition parties is likely to govern the Northern Cape after the election in 2009," said Zille. "The imminent formation of a breakaway party will act as an important check on power abuse and anti-constitutionalism in the ruling party.

"And it will help to reduce the ANC's 74% majority in Parliament, thus strengthening constitutional democracy." The paradigm of a strong, dominant ruling party and a fragmented opposition - characteristic of societies undergoing a transition from liberation politics to constitutional democracy - was beginning to shift. - Sapa

annman

October 17th, 2008, 08:30 PM

ANC prepares for mass exodus in W Cape

October 17 2008 at 07:02PM

Dissident Western Cape ANC members angered at the treatment of regional secretary Mbulelo Ncedana, plan to resign en masse on Sunday.

According to several members who plan to resign, the public declarations of resignation will be in sympathy with Ncedana and 10 other senior members who resigned from the party on Thursday.

The mass resignation was planned to take place at a midday rally at the Naluxolo Primary School in Samora, Phillipi on the Cape Flats.

Phillipi has one of the largest ANC memberships in the Dullah Omar region, covering the Cape Town metro, which claims more than 30 000 members. - Sapa

Seems the ANC in the Western Cape is dying a slow and painful death... all the better for the No.1 Mayor in the World!!! :lol:

Die Kapenaar

October 21st, 2008, 11:58 PM

http://www.businessday.co.za/images/bdlogo01.gif

Posted to the web on: 20 October 2008

ANC winds of change and Cape political weather

Dave Marrs

AS SA’s most keenly contested province, Western Cape was always going to be particularly interesting come Election 2009, especially since the incumbent African National Congress (ANC) government inherited power through its takeover of the New National Party (NNP) rather than winning an outright majority at the polls.

There was every likelihood that the ANC would have lost control of the province to a coalition of parties similar in make-up to that which is currently running Cape Town even if it was not wracked by infighting and the fallout from former provincial chairman Ebrahim Rasool’s ousting as premier. The loss of Cape Town two years ago indicated that few of the NNP’s dwindling band of supporters followed their leaders into the arms of the ANC, and the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led city government has almost certainly done enough right for a majority of voters to be satisfied that it can be trusted with the province, too.

So the likely launch of a new political party taken from the rib of the ANC probably does not change the overall post-election outlook for the province. But it does open up some fascinating possibilities, the most encouraging being the prospect of increased political stability if both city and province are in the hands of the same coalition of parties, and especially if that alliance includes the new splinter group.

Not only would its governing majorities be more comfortable than the slender advantage the Cape Town coalition had to cling to for its first couple of years in power, but city and province would at last have a real chance to work together in a constructive manner. There is no doubt that the biggest obstacle to delivery in the province since 2006 has been the political one-upmanship that has bedevilled areas such as housing provision.
This destructive tendency has diminished since Lynne Brown took over as caretaker premier — she even heartily congratulated Cape Town mayor and DA leader Helen Zille on her “World’s Best Mayor” award last week, which must have stuck in her craw so close to an election. But if the cynicism and sheer nastiness of the Rasool era taught us anything, it is that close co-operation between the provincial and metropolitan levels of government is especially important for the efficient distribution of resources and implementation of development programmes, and that the best way to achieve that is for both to be in the same benign political hands.

Another positive arising from an ANC splinter group forming an alliance with the existing coalition partners would be a decisive break with the identity politics that has dominated the discourse in SA since 1994. There was a danger inherent in the DA-led coalition entrenching its position of power in the province and excluding the ANC, since that could too easily be interpreted in racial terms as whites and coloureds ganging up against blacks.

A more racially representative scenario would, of course, be precisely what Zille has been working towards since taking over as leader of the DA. The natural watershed in South African politics has always fallen through the middle of the ANC, which as a liberation movement provided a home for interest groups that were too disparate to live together for long in a conventional political party. It is not stretching the point to state that many former United Democratic Front activists in Western Cape have more in common with Zille and the liberal wing of her party than they have with the “ultra-leftist” tail that seems to be wagging the ANC dog these days.

All is not entirely peachy for the DA, though. Depending on how next month’s national convention pans out, it and the other opposition groups face the prospect of losing some support to a new party. This is especially relevant in Western Cape, where people may be tempted to split their provincial and national ballots to increase their effect. Supporting one of the coalition parties could be regarded as an endorsement of provincial stability and delivery, the national ballot a platform to register a protest vote.

Marrs is Cape editor.

annman

October 22nd, 2008, 03:34 PM

Now Ramatlakane quits the ANC

October 22, 2008 Edition 1

Andisiwe Makinana

Former Western Cape MEC Leonard Ramatlakane has quit the ANC to join Mosiuoa Lekota's national convention.

Speaking to the Cape Argus last night, Ramatlakane said his resignation had been a painful decision "as I had been a member of the ANC all my political(ly) conscious life".

He resigns from the ANC almost three months after quitting his job as community safety MEC as well as a member of the provincial legislature.

Ramatlakane said he had "consciously and voluntarily" aligned himself with the ANC and the alliance to fight for freedom and an egalitarian society, and his latest decision was also informed by the very same freedom "we have collectively achieved".

"The decision is to expand my freedom and that of others who wish to convene on November 2 without any encumbrances. This is in order to soundboard with other South Africans as to whether my concerns resonate with theirs."

He would not reveal whether he had a specific role ahead of the convention, or in a possible breakaway party.

Ramatlakane said a series of issues had led to his resignation, including "the continuous infighting in the provincial ANC (and) the failure by senior leadership to deal with it".

"I didn't decide based on one issue. It's a culmination of different issues."

He said the fact that the ANC Western Cape conference went ahead without a number of branches had contributed to his decision, as well as name-calling, with leaders referring to comrades as "dead snakes, dying horses and now dogs" .

He said there was a wish by the ANC's national leadership that the party should lose the Western Cape and that such a loss would be a welcome "relief" as ANC membership in the province had become a burden to them.

"In the ANC there has been a naked flouting of sound organisational principles and processes; electoral processes have been in dispute; administrative processes have been derelict; judicial or corrective processes have been selectively punitive and operational processes have been alienating and vindictive."

Ramatlakane highlighted his treatment by his ANC colleagues while an MEC and the investigations of himself and his department "in the name of oversight".

"I had resigned as MEC and MPL as I became hounded by my own comrades who, among other things, fed the opposition with damaging insinuations against my person and in the fulfilment of my duties as a member of the executive. Many a time … they did and continue to openly side with the opposition in tarnishing my image and standing in society. I will always regard that as the most painful patch in my … political career."

Ramatlakane served as transport and public works MEC from 1994 to 1998; he was the ANC's chief whip in the legislature from 1999 to 2001, before being appointed as community safety MEC.

Die Kapenaar

October 22nd, 2008, 09:27 PM

‘KEEP TERROR OUT’

Grindrod: ANC over the hill

BROWN LOOKS FOR SUPPORT

maahir pretorius

OPPOSITION parties in the Western Cape have given Western Cape Premier Lynne Brown the cold shoulder after she said she wanted to get into bed with them.

Brown is now courting the ANC’s opposition in the Western Cape to keep breakaway ANC leader Mosiuoa Lekota out of the provincial government.

“She (Brown) said earlier this week that if the ANC does not win the election in the province, the governing party would form a coalition with any of the other parties to stay in power,” said An Wentzel, Brown’s spokesperson.

But the ID said they were not in favour of such a plan.

Simon Grindrod, the Deputy President of the ID, said: “It is clear the ANC is in its glory. They are panicking because the gravy train has derailed.

“The Zuma train is running out of steam and we predict that more ANC members will abandon the sinking ship soon.

“If I was Brown, I would not bother hanging my new curtains at Leeuwenhof (the Premier’s official residence).

“Time is running out and soon we will be rid of the useless ANC government in the Western Cape forever.”

Garth Strachan, the ANC spokesman in the Western Cape, reacted to this: “Grindrod must stop his personal attacks on the premier.

“The ID and the DA suggested a coalition to the premier almost three months ago, and it was not the other way around.

“The ANC in the Western Cape is convinced of their capacity and their excellent election strategy.

“The premier was not at any level involved with any pre-election or coalition discussions,” he said.

Meanwhile five suspended ANC members, Ebrahim Sawant (deputy chairman in the Metro region), Moegamat Majiedt (former secretary in the Boland region), Mbulelo Ncedana (secretary in the Metro region), Brian Heber (councillor of the City of Cape Town), and Onel de Beer (former mayor of Saldanha Bay municipality), announced their resignations yesterday.

An ANC press release said the resignations were accepted with open arms by the provincial leadership and nobody protested against the resignations.

The party is also considering disciplinary action against businessman Saki Macozoma and Smuts Ngonyama, former ANC spokesman, after it was mentioned that they were funding Lekota’s national conference.

The conference was scheduled for November 2. Cape Son has learnt that the former Gauteng Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa, will visit the Cape to recruit for the Lekota group.

Lydon

October 22nd, 2008, 09:31 PM

Such awesome words!

Die Kapenaar

October 22nd, 2008, 09:47 PM

The ANC has suspended four ward councillors in Drakenstein (Paarl-Wellington) municipality which means that byelections would need to be held to fill vacant seats. A fifth councillor suspended is a PR councillor that can be axed without a byelection. One of the four ward councillors is a member of the town's mayoral committee led by executive mayor Charmaine Manuel. The ANC currently holds a slim majority of 31 seats on the 61 seat council.

If the by-elections go ahead and the ANC loses all four as would be likely, then the ANC would have just 27 seats on the council and would need 31 seats that it curently has to run the Drakenstein council.

At the present time there are 3 NPP councillors who could try and keep the ANC in power in a possible coalition but they would come up short one seat.

Given the recent two by-elections that were held in this Boland municipality where the ID performed very well, it is highly likely that the four ward seats, which are in brown areas, would go to the ID. While the suspended ANC councillors would contest a by-election under the new Shikota party banner, the ID would win because the people in those wards would reject both Zuma and Lekota and their divisive politics.

If that happens then the ANC could be toppled and replaced with a multiparty coalition like in Cape Town.

Drakenstein was governed briefly by the opposition until the ANC retook the municipality after the floor crossing window last year.

This Afrikaans article below is interesting read

SON DAILY

ANC-HO Ë S IN BOLAND ‘UIT’
SKEURING IN PARTY

‘Skorsing kom van vyf lede’

maahir pretorius

VERSKEIE ANC-raadslede in die Boland-streek kan van vandag af hul tasse begin pak.
Dié streek se ANC-leierskorps (REC) het gister aangedring op die onmiddellike skorsing van vyf raadslede in die munisipaliteite van Drakenstein en die Kaapse Wynlanddistrik.

Die streekbestuur het die volgende culprits geïdentifiseer: Dan Kotze (gewese voorsitter in die Boland-streek en wyksraadslid in Saron), Van der Berg Pienaar en Frans Koopman (wyksraadslede in Drakenstein), Spasie Kika en Edmund Pheko (burgemeesterskomiteelede).

Dié lede het onlangs op die Langa-vergadering openlik hul steun toegesê aan die Lekota-groep.
Colin Rens, streeksekretaris in die Boland, wou nie reageer op die besluit om die groep te skors nie. Maar luidens die REC se aanbeveling aan die provinsiale leierskorps (PEC) kom dié raadslede nie raadsverpligtinge na nie.

Rens het vir die PEC gesê: “Hulle bly net weg sonder verskoning. Verder intimideer hulle die takke. Hulle is prominente voorstanders van Le*kota en mobiliseer *lede om Lekota te ondersteun.

“Hul gedrag het nou ’n punt bereik waar die REC moet optree in die belang van die ANC.
“Die gedissiplineerde en getroue lede is gefrustreerd dat die REC en PEC geen aksie neem nie. Dít.â€Š.â€Š. ondermyn die ANC en goeie regering.”

Rens sê: “Spasie Kika moet as burgemeesterskomiteelid herroep word. Dit sal haar finansiële posisie verswak. Haar status plaas haar in ’n sterk posisie om teen die ANC te mobiliseer.

“Edmund Pheko is ’n proporsionele raadslid wat lede werf en mobiliseer teen die ANC. In die geval van Koopman en Pienaar is ons seker ons sal die tussenverkiesings in hul wyke wen.

“Die opsie om teen Kotze op te tree laat ons aan u (die PEC) oor weens die verskeie omstandighede aan hom gekoppel,” sê Rens.

Kotze sê: “Ons is steeds gedissiplineerde lede van die ANC.

“En as ons amptelik in kennis gestel is van die aksies teen ons, sal ons ons saak gaan stel by die provinsiale leierskap.”

mobiliseer: Dan Kotze (links) is diep in gesprek met Mosiuoa Lekota op die Langa-vergadering.
Foto: peter abrahams

JohanSA

October 23rd, 2008, 09:41 AM

Exciting Times!! I love politics cause suddenly ours is more interresting than the USA's!

Die Kapenaar

October 24th, 2008, 12:27 AM

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Motion of no confidence called in Drakenstein

Aziz Hartley

October 23 2008 at 07:41AM

A former community safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane joined the hundreds of people who have given up their ANC membership, more members are expected to leave the party this weekend while it is expected to lose its control of the Drakenstein Municipality.

Ramatlakane's resignation on Tuesday came after that of about 200 ANC members, including branch executives, in the southern Cape on Monday evening and hundreds of others who tore up their ANC cards at a rally in Philippi rally on Sunday.

On Tuesday, six of 31 ANC councillors in the Drakenstein Municipality supported opposition parties' motion of no confidence in the mayor, Charmaine Manual, and her deputy.

Manual was recently elected as ANC provincial executive committee member. The councillors were prepared to talk on Wednesday, but a party insider confirmed that they were supporting former ANC chairperson Mosioua Lekota's plan for a national convention.

Ramatlakane claimed the ANC's administration and organisation was flawed and said that he too favoured the convention planned for next week.

"I reached a decision that I, together with millions of other South Africans, joined the struggle to fight for freedom and an egalitarian society. I consciously and voluntarily aligned myself with the ANC and the alliance as the best vehicle in that endeavour.

"My decision is therefore, informed by that very same freedom we have collectively achieved. (My) decision is to expand my freedom and that of others who wish to convene on November 1 2008," he said.

Derrick Appel, an ANC southern Cape councillor, said 40 executives from seven branches, and about 200 ordinary ANC members resigned at Monday's meeting held in Riviersonderend.

Appel said that a number of councillors would resign soon.

Meanwhile, Lekota's convention call has received a mixed reaction from Western Cape religious, community and labour groups.

The Muslim Judicial Council said it was not ready to comment, Cape Town Interfaith chairperson John Oliver refused to say anything, while the SA Jewish Board of Deputies and the Public Service Association said they were leaving it for their members to decide for themselves.

"As a community we never question people as to what parties they belong to or who to vote for. In a democracy we do not influence people as a group.

"People must feel free to go with whatever party that suits their views. It has been a strict principle we've had for 104 years," said the board's president, Michael Bagraim, who added that it didn't make any difference to the board what party governed the country.

Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said while the convention would not last, recent political developments were a wake-up call for the ANC.

ACDP President Kenneth Meshoe said his party welcomed Lekota's move because it would impact on the ANC's grip on power.

"We've not been invited, but if we are, we will consider sending an observer. The ANC has become too big and arrogant. We hope the current ANC is reduced significantly so it could be stopped from implementing socialist policies," Meshoe said.

Anti Eviction Campaign leader Ashraf Cassiem said the status quo where the rich benefited at the expense of the poor would remain.

"We don't care. Whoever is in power always implements policies that favour international institutions and multinationals," he said.

aziz.hartley@inl.co.za

This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Times on October 23, 2008

Die Kapenaar

October 24th, 2008, 12:30 AM

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Vonke gaan spat

2008-10-23

May Saal
DIE verdeeldheid in die ANC kan veroorsaak dat dié party sy meerderheid volgende week by die raadsvergadering sal inboet.

Die vonke gaan spat by die volgende vergadering van die Drakenstein Munisipale Raad nadat ses ANC raadslede hulle by die opposisiepartye (DA, ID, WCC en ACDP) geskaar het en saam met hulle ’n mosie van wantroue ingedien het teen die heersende ANC-ampsdra ers.

Sou die mosie aanvaar word, kan dit beteken dat die ANC sy beheer oor die Raad verloor. Die Raad moet binne sewe dae sit ná so ’n mosie.

In die mosie word versoek dat die Speaker, Sikhumbuzo Mgajo, die Burgemeester, Charmaine Manuel, en die Onderburgemeester, Wilhelm Nothnagel, van hul ampte onthef word en dat nuwe ampsdraers verkies moet word.

Volgens die mosie geniet die huidige burgemeester en burgemeesterskomitee nie meer die steun en vertroue van die meerderheid van die raadslede van Drakenstein nie.

Die ses afvallige ANC raadslede is almal direk verkose wyksraadslede.

Hulle is Dan Kotze (wyksraadslid in Saron en voormalige voorsitter van die ANC in die Boland), en wyksraadslede Van der Berg Pienaar, Frans Koopman, Claud Julies, Spasie Kika en Colin van der Westhuizen.

Dié ses steun glo die ANC-wegbrekers onder leiding van Terror Lekota en is in onguns by hul party.

Sou hierdie ses teen die ANC stem by volgende week se raadsvergadering, sal die ANC die beheer oor die Raad verloor en ’n nuwe burgemeester en uitvoerende komitee sal aangewys word.

Die ANC het tans net-net ’n meerderheid van 31 in die stadsraad van 61 lede.

Die opposisie bestaan tans uit die DA (19), ID (3), WCC (2), ACDP (1) en VF+ (1). Daar is ook drie NPP-lede wat die ANC steun.

Sou die ANC die ses rebelse raadslede skors, sal tussenverkiesings gehou moet word, wat die ANC in elk geval die meerderheidsteun in die Raad kan kos.

* Six rebel ANC councillors support a vote of no confidence in the Drakenstein mayoral council, which is to be tabled next week by the opposition. This could lead to a power shift and the election of a new mayor and mayoral committee.

Die Kapenaar

October 24th, 2008, 12:32 AM

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New Political Party

2008-10-23

May Saal

ABOUT 500 ANC dissidents gathered in the Mbekweni community hall on Tuesday night to discuss the founding of a local branch of the new South African National Congress (SANC) party led by Terror Lekota. Here Mbulelo Ncedani, provincial organiser of the party, address es the crowd on their grievances against the ANC.

Mo Rush

October 24th, 2008, 01:23 AM

The ship SANC

Die Kapenaar

October 24th, 2008, 10:44 PM

Cape plans 'resignation rallies'

October 24 2008 at 08:43PM

Three "mass resignation" rallies from the ANC are to be staged in the Western Cape this weekend, local party members said on Friday.

They said branches in the Boland, Southern Cape and West Coast regions of the province plan to meet in Citrusdal, Paarl and Plettenberg Bay to hand in their membership cards in advance of next weekend's national convention in Bloemfontein, called by former defence minister Terror Lekota.

A spokesperson for Moegamat Matjiet, former Boland regional secretary of the ANC, said Matjiet and other leading local ANC figures would head the rally at a local sports ground in Paarl at noon on Saturday.

Former deputy defence minister, Mululeki George is billed as a guest speaker at a similar rally in the Southern Cape region of Plettenberg Bay, scheduled to start at noon on Sunday.

Local ANC leader, Zamile Xiphula, who describes himself as an "expired" local councillor, having already resigned from the ANC, maintains the "every ward" in the area will be represented at the rally.

Similar confidence is expressed by former Western Cape provincial ANC executive member Ornel de Beer, who is in charge of the West Coast rally to be held in the Vicky Zimry community hall in Citrusdal on Sunday, starting at noon.

"We expect a really big turnout," he said. - Sapa

Mo Rush

October 25th, 2008, 09:38 AM

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briker

October 27th, 2008, 01:50 AM

Proof, the ANC runs on Monkey Brains! :bash:

The E.N.D

October 27th, 2008, 02:47 AM

LOL (for real)!Where did you get that Mo.Rush?!This explains a lot.

briker

October 27th, 2008, 05:03 AM

Call for Zille to run for premier
26 October 2008,

There is growing support in the Western Cape for Helen Zille to become the DA's candidate for premier in the election but the party leader is taking a cautious approach to her immediate political future.

Political parties still have a few months before they finalise their party lists as the date of the election has not been announced yet.

But while the DA members mull over what is best for the party, the race in the Independent Democrats is in full swing with its deputy president Simon Grindrod and provincial leader Sakkie Jenner running a two-horse race for the top slot.

Even though the ANC has not yet finalised its lists, tradition would indicate that provincial leader Mcebisi Skwatsha looks set to be the premier candidate.

Zille is both the mayor of Cape Town and national leader of the DA.

The DA constitution allows the leader of the party to choose any position, be it on the national Parliament list as premier candidate in any province, or a mayoral candidate in any municipality.

But, before making any decisions on the elections, Zille has taken a cautious approach and commissioned research.

Her spokesperson Fritz de Klerk said on Saturday they were looking into which position the leader should take that would be in the best interests of the party.

The split in the ANC and the effect it would have on the vote are also being taken into consideration.

However, the DA's Robin Carlisle said last week there were strong feelings Zille should be the party's provincial premier candidate.

He said many party members in Mitchells Plain, traditionally a DA stronghold, were rooting for Zille.

He was echoed by city councillor JP Smith, who said even though Zille was keen to develop other personalities in the party, he would support her for premier.

"If Helen is half as good a premier as mayor, she would be awesome in the position. The province would really perform."

DA federal council chairperson James Selfe said the council would have to carefully analyse the issues before deciding which provinces were strategic.

This would determine the choice of premier candidates.

Selfe said, however, it was still "early days" and the party had enough time to make its decisions.

National organiser for the Independent Democrats Joe Mcgluwa said those nominated as premier candidates in the party would go through a rigorous process of interviews before decisions were made by the national management committee.

"We will announce the candidates after we launch our election manifesto at the end of November."

mike2005

October 27th, 2008, 10:13 PM

is that exam slip for real?my god its even more scary when you think that he is actually quite qualified compared to most of the animals that make up the ANC

Lydon

October 27th, 2008, 11:18 PM

Please tell me that exam slip is a joke...

EduardSA

October 27th, 2008, 11:24 PM

^^ unfortunately not....

Lydon

October 27th, 2008, 11:30 PM

and I thought I was bad at maths!

DennisRodman97

October 28th, 2008, 05:48 AM

cthighflyer

October 28th, 2008, 06:47 AM

Zille for Presedent

Dames

October 28th, 2008, 06:15 PM

DennisRodman97

October 28th, 2008, 06:36 PM

too damn of a shame.....i wish more people of south africa are open minded and vote zille for president

Klausenburg

October 28th, 2008, 06:47 PM

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This means that Malema is speaking some Afrikaans?

annman

November 3rd, 2008, 03:03 PM

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Strong Western Cape backing for new party
2008-11-03 12:13:49

The Western Cape wing of the newly formed SA Democratic Congress is expected to appoint its interim provincial leadership tomorrow.

Former Western Cape community safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane said the SADC would appoint the leadership structure at a meeting in Cape Town tomorrow. It would comprise 10 members, replicating the national leadership structure.

He repeated that 14 000 ANC members in the province had signalled the intention of joining the new party - a figure which is vehemently contested by the ANC.

Ramatlakane said a provincial SADC conference was only likely to take place after the official launch on December 16.

He also confirmed that he was one of 560 Western Cape delegates to attend the new party's convention in Johannesburg at the weekend.

Many in the breakaway faction are confident of giving the ANC a serious run for its money at next year's elections.

Local supporters and co-ordinators say further resignations from the ANC should be ex-pected, including those of sever-al provincial ward councillors.

Asked whether they were not weary of people simply jumping on the bandwagon, a national steering committee member told the Cape Argus: "The test of conviction would be who gives up what they have, to join the unknown."

He was confident, though, that with the confirmation of a new party, more people would come out of the woodwork and put up their hands to join.

For now, he said, it was all about "putting shoulder to the wheel" - going all out on a recruitment campaign, setting up party structures and preparing for the party launch.

The delivery of membership forms to provinces, as well as member registration, was due to begin in the next two days, he said.

While the interim leadership would be busy with log-istical preparations, supporters, especially delegates at the convention, were expected to go all out on a recruitment campaign at ward level.

"We are talking of mobilising, recruitment and all sorts of other preparation for the launch," said Brian Heber, a former ANC councillor in the City of Cape Town.

Ndithini Tyhido, a provincial co-ordinator, said that unlike other provinces, the Western Cape had already covered a lot of groundwork.

In the past three weeks, several meetings had been held around the province, where disgruntled ANC members had "resigned" and prepared the ground for the new formation.

Some ANC members who at-tended the convention predict-ed tough times ahead for the ruling party, especially in the Western Cape.

"It's a tide that cannot be changed," said Themba Mpetha, a guest at the convention.

Mpetha said the ANC had been arrogant when it failed to explain the recall of ex-premier Ebrahim Rasool to the people.

"Of all the provinces, they couldn't afford that. That was arrogance which disappointed voters," said Mpetha.

Addressing the convention, another Western Cape ANC member, Nils Flaaten, said that after raising issues several times with the party's national leadership and being ignored, they had given up, to find a new home in the convention.

"For the first time, the Western Cape is united at a conference," said Flaaten to a roar of applause from the packed auditorium. - Additional reporting by Murray Williams

Die Kapenaar

November 4th, 2008, 08:07 PM

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ANC axes four councillors for 'colluding with Shikota'

November 04, 2008 Edition 2

By MURRAY WILLIAMS

Staff Writer

Four ANC City of Cape Town councillors have been asked to resign from the party for allegedly colluding with the new "Shikota Express" political party.

This comes after the new breakaway party gathered momentum with its first conference at the weekend.

The party was expected to name its 10 interim provincial leaders today.

But before it could do so, the ANC announced today that it had asked four city councillors to resign.

Provincial ANC secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha said the four had been "monitored for weeks".

"We've been gathering information over a period of weeks. And when we believed we had sufficient evidence, we put it to them yesterday."

Skwatsha said the four had been accused of contravening the ANC's constitution by colluding with the new party, using ANC party structures while doing so and "working to undermine" the ANC in the process.

Councillors Mzwandile Matiwane , Boyisile Mafilika, Wandile Nkwele and Kululwa Mpongo, a proportional representation councillor elected to council on the ANC's party list, were all asked to resign.

In the case of the first three councillors, by-elections will now be held.

Mafilika said today that he would consult his constituents before deciding on his future.

Matiwane confirmed that he had agreed to resign. He would stand as a candidate in a by-election if asked to by his community. Nkwele also confirmed he had been asked to resign, but said he was waiting to consult his electorate, who would decide on his fate, "and not the ANC".

Mpongo and denied that she supported the new party "yet".

annman

November 9th, 2008, 09:13 PM

ANC sacks suspected COP supporters

November 09 2008 at 03:10PM
By Sandiso Phaliso

The ANC asked almost all the ward councillors in the Cape Town's Sub-Council 13 in Philippi to resign last week and thousands of residents have vowed to follow them to the new Congress of the People.

In separate community meetings held in Philippi last week councillors Monwabisi Mbaliswano, Wandile Nkwele, Mzwandile Matiwane, Buyisile Mafilika, Bongani Mini and proportional councillor Kuluwa Mapongo announced their resignations as councillors and ANC members.

The only ward councillor left in the sub-council is ANC-elected Moses Baskiti from ward 80.

Ward 34 councillor Mini said that on October 31 all the councillors, excepting Mapongo, received an SMS requesting them to report to the ANC's provincial office on Monday.

He was in the Eastern Cape and unable to go, but his colleagues told him they were instructed to resign from their positions as they were seen to be supporting the "Shikota" movement, now officially named the Congress of the People.

Mbaliswano said the councillors approached their respective wards on Tuesday and asked them what to do. The resounding response was that they resign and join the COP.

Mbaliswano, Nkwele, Matiwane, Mafilika and Mapongo handed in their resignations on Wednesday.

On Thursday evening Mini approached his ward and received the same response. He resigned on Friday morning.

Thousands of residents pledged to vote for them if they represented the new party.

Residents speaking from the floor at last week's meetings - which were attended by thousands - said they felt disappointed and undermined by the ANC leadership in the province.

Residents asked why the ANC provincial leaders had not spoken to the masses and asked their opinions of their councillors before requesting their resignation.

Minority groups at the meetings said they would support new councillors appointed by the ANC but the overwhelming majority said they would follow their councillors to the the new party.

The ANC's provincial office said on Friday the decision to axe the councillors was due to them using ANC structures to mobilise "for another political party".

However, the provincial office said the councillors were not asked to resign as ANC members.

"We will continue to take decisive action against any ANC public representative who misuses the resources of the ANC and we are prepared and ready to fight and win these by-elections," read the statement.

But the ANC appears to be facing a battle for support in the Western Cape, a province which has already lost its key metropole to the DA coalition and has seen long-running ANC infighting between current provincial chairperson Mcebisi Skwatsha and former chairperson James Ngculu and former premier Ebrahim Rasool.

The recall of Rasool also angered many ANC supporters, especially Muslim voters.

The ANC's provincial conference in September was boycotted by 86 of the 205 branches, who were dissatisfied with the way branch AGM's had been chaired in the run-up to the conference.

During Mini's meeting on Thursday, Philippi branch chairperson Ben Nokatyo, an ANC member for the 40 years, told the packed meeting he had also decided to resign from the ANC because it was not upholding the principles of the Freedom Charter.

"I will never again be a member of the ANC," Nokatyo said.

The 1500 people in the hall applauded loudly. - West Cape News

Alex Roney

November 10th, 2008, 05:09 AM

Why cant there be standard qualification to run for any top office in south africa just like it is in america...atleast somebody with a degree and went to top schools in SA. Barack obama was the president of harvard review law.....that aint no joke...and he was the first black to hold that position in the history of harvard....and still people say he is not qualify enough to be the president of the free world.

To be fair, theirs a difference between being "smart" enough to hold a high position than to have "legislative" experience. The latter Obama did not have, since he was only Illinois Senator for two years who actually never "ran" anything like a governor or mayor would. Him being part of the Harvard Law Review, is a testament to his great intellect, not experience. But I don't think experience should be the overriding factor, I think it's one of them but not the most important. Bush was a decent governor of Texas and we know how his presidency went....

annman

November 11th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Die Kapenaar

November 12th, 2008, 09:50 PM

Die Kapenaar

November 12th, 2008, 09:54 PM

ACDP 2%
ANC 28%
CoP 22%
DA 45%
ID 12%
VF 1%

Just a lame prediction... no Poll of Polls or Markinor Survey... just me being political-silly! :nuts: I may also be out of touch with how much support Patricia has out there and making a call on the CoP is nearly impossible! But I think the CoP will be strongest in the WC and GP, they seem to be pulling more of the urban black (but also crossing racial boundaries... yeah!) electorate.

Numbers don't add up. This is probably what you mean:

ANC 28%
CoP 22%
DA 35%
ID 12%
VF 1%

In that event, the DA would need the support of both the COPE and ID to govern the WC and if the ID works closely with COPE, then they can prevent the Premiership going to Theuns Botha of the DA.

Die Kapenaar

November 12th, 2008, 10:10 PM

ANC 35%
DA 25%
ID 15%
COPE 15%
ACDP 1%
UDM 1%
Icosa 2%
NPP 5%
VF+ 1%

My view is that both the ANC and DA would see their support diminish in the WC at the expense of the COPE while the ID would continue to grow it's support base.

The DA would need to form a coalition with both the ID and COPE in order to form a government in the WC. Likewise it is possible that the ANC could form a coalition with COPE and seek reconciliation with their erstwhile enemies and such an arrangement would prove more stable than a DA-COPE-ID coalition. In addition I'm not sure if Shikota would want to be viewed as puppets if they get into bed with the DA.

Given that the DA would only get 25% of the vote as much of it's coloured support would drift over to the new COPE party (whites would stay with the DA as they are not near as fickle as the coloured electorate), it is unlikely we would see a DA premier such as Theuns Botha or a majority DA provincial executive council as the ID and COPE would get majority say especially if the form an alliance in order to prevent the DA from becoming the dominant bloc.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 12:57 AM

More councillors step down from ANC

Another eleven ANC councillors, three of whom were expelled from the party, have decided to join the yet to be launched Congress of the People, bringing to 28 the number of defectors at council level.

And a number of SA National Civic Organisation Western Cape leaders have turned on their alliance partner the ANC, saying they are to urge Sanco members to support the COP in 2009's elections.

Messages left for ANC provincial secretary Sipho Kroma requesting comment were not returned.

Former ANC West Coast co-ordinator Onel de Beer said seven councillors - among them Cederberg Mayor Jannie Meyer, Berg River councillors Ray van Rooyen and Randal van der Heeven, and Lamberts Bay councillor Pieter Peterse - resigned from the ANC on Monday.

Details of the resignations of three Saldanha Bay councillors would follow soon, De Beer said.

"We withhold the names of the three for strategic reasons, but will release them in due course," he said.

"The seven officially gave their resignations to the speakers of their municipalities and the ANC.

"All of them will be joining COP and have been assigned specific tasks, which include setting up branches. This is just the first batch and many more will follow."

In the Boland, councillor Phillip Tyria also announced his resignation last night.

He joined his three others from the Breede Valley municipality - Luvuyo Kelepu, Freddie Speelman and Bertie Fortuin - who have already joined the COP.

Sanco's provincial secretary, Veza Nethi, and Southern Cape leader, Zamile Xipula, said the organisation's 21 000 members in their regions would be encouraged to support the new party.

Xipula said a pro-COP campaign had been launched and public meetings would be held to garner support.

Nethi said the call followed Sanco president Mhlungise Hlongwane's speech at the national convention in which he voiced the organisation's solidarity with the new party.

Sanco provincial chairperson Rose Sonto said: "In South Africa's politics, anything is possible at any minute.

We have not gone to conference. It is amazing that a group that has not gone to the conference is pronouncing its support for some party.

"If they did not call themselves Sanco, I would not be worried.

"At conference after conference, Sanco pronounced itself in support of the ANC.

"We have not had a conference to pronounce otherwise and Sanco still holds that resolution.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on November 11, 2008

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 12:59 AM

'ANC is going to win by-elections hands down'

November 11 2008 at 07:08PM

By Esther Lewis

Western Cape ANC chairperson Mcebisi Skwatsha continues to remain upbeat, despite the fact that more ANC councillors are expected to resign from the party this week.

"We are going to win all of those by-elections, hands down," said Skwatsha on Monday night.

In order to achieve this feat, he said his party would expose the councillors who had defected to the Congress of the People (COPE) for "what they are".

'It is intolerant and a closed-off crony organisation'
Skwatsha said they had "always been useless councillors".

On December 10, by-elections were expected to be held in wards where councillors have resigned or have been expelled by the party.

Skwatsha said the list of ANC councillors who will contest the by-elections will be released next week.

But former Samora Machel councillor Monwabisi Mbaliswana is certain that he and his colleagues who have quit the ANC will be re-elected.

He said resigning as councillor was a sensitive matter, because it was a "bread and butter" issue.

'I would rather be jobless than work under those conditions and leadership of Skwatsha'

"But I would rather be jobless than work under those conditions and leadership of Skwatsha," said Mbaliswana.

He said that while no longer a councillor, he was still considered a community leader. He had been offered a "squatting place" in the Tsoga Environmental Centre in Samora Machel, which is his new office.

During his voter registration drive at the weekend, he said 2 300 new members had signed up for the Cope.

Of the ward's 30 000 strong population, about 14 000 were eligible voters, he said.

Mbaliswana is certain he will get the larger chunk of those votes. "On December 11, I promise I will be a councillor again," he said.

Commenting on the Drakenstein and Breede River Valley suspensions and resignations, Skwatsha accused councillors of being in cahoots with the DA.

DA leader and Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille hit back last night and said that instead of accusing people of all sorts of things, the ANC should pause and have a look at what it has done to get everyone so angry.

"It is intolerant and a closed-off crony organisation. The ANC is isolated, abandoned and lashing out in all directions," said Zille.

She said recently that her party had no plans of becoming "engaged to, or even going on a date" with the new party.

Speaking at a registration drive in Elsies River last week, she said that just because parties were not working with the ANC, did not mean they were all working with each other.

This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Argus on November 11, 2008

annman

November 13th, 2008, 01:17 PM

^^ The ANC in the Western Cape sounds like my grandmother...

Bitter, resentful and blaming everyone but themselves. :lol:

EduardSA

November 13th, 2008, 02:00 PM

ANC 35%
DA 25%
ID 15%
COPE 15%
ACDP 1%
UDM 1%
Icosa 2%
NPP 5%
VF+ 1%

Hahahahahahahahahaha

Only an ANC or ID supporter would still hope and believe that the ANC would get over 30%. I think annman's prediction is more accurate. The DA has made lots of inroads in the coloured communities over these last few years and even with some black voters, so they will probably increase the results. The ID is a one-woman show and has no credibility and people would vote ID only cuz De Lille is coloured, so I think ID will stay around the same or increase maybe by 5%. COPE will make large inroads in all racial communities, primarily african and then coloured, and will split the ANC. But since they are a relatively new and practically the old ANC, many WC voters will still be wary of the new party. In any case, DA will come out on top gettin 35-45%, COPE will come second, and ID will come third.

annman

November 13th, 2008, 02:53 PM

Lydon

November 13th, 2008, 04:47 PM

The ID will most likely gain strength, but not much. That's one joke of a party in my opinion.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 09:14 PM

The NNP won't get ANY... not sure how DeKapenaar comes up with his educated guess, as the NNP is morsdood! However DeKapenaar is right, for some reason I added up to 110%, duh me! I know from being on the ground amongst a coloured community in the rural Western Cape... They now HATE the ANC and most won't touch them with a 15foot barge poll! :) The ANC will get at the most about the same as the DA in the province, if not less. The ID will gain strength i.m.o.

I'm not talking about the New National Party but the National Peoples Party which is led by Badhi Chaaban, who is a Lebanese businessman who defected from the African Muslim Party (AMP). He is in coalition with the ANC in at least six municipalities in the WC.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 09:18 PM

The ID will most likely gain strength, but not much. That's one joke of a party in my opinion.

Indeed it will. Even Pieter Mulder of the VF+, who I think is more honest and genuine than Helen Zille, said in an speech he gave yesterday about the opposition realignment that the ID has a hold on the Cape Flats where it won a by-election in Macassar which was previously held by the DA. He also mentioned that the ID has a chance in areas like the Northern Cape where people view it as being more in touch with them than the "rich" DA.

The conference in Cape Town was attended by all the opposition parties including the DA, ID, UDM, VF+ who discussed the implications of COPE and it's affect on the political landscape in SA.

Here are two of the speeches.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 09:20 PM

Pieter Mulder on the ANC split and its consequences

Dr. Pieter Mulder

13 November 2008

Speech by the Freedom Front Plus leader Cape Town November 13 2008

WILL THE REAL ANC STAND UP; PROS AND CONS OF THE NEW POLITICS

Introduction

In my experience most Western journalists find it very difficult to make predictions about South African politics. Government corruption and poor service delivery were used by these journalists to predict at every election after 1994 that the ANC would fare worse. Since 1994 the ANC has fared much better in every election and these journalists' predictions were proven wrong every time.

The same goes for opposition parties, such as the DA's predictions. In the 2000 local government elections, the DA had 22% of the support. They predicted that they would hold 25% or 100 seats in Parliament after the 2004 National elections. After the 2004 elections, the ANC had 70% and the DA had 12%. Ryan Coetzee, the DA's chief strategist predicted that the DA would obtain 5% of the black vote in 2004. Statistics show it to be less than 1%.

These journalists' predictions were wrong because they projected Europe's voting patterns and models on the ANC and on South Africa. In South Africa, many forces and factors work together for which those models do not make provision.

For one, the ANC does not see itself as a normal political party but still talk and think in terms of a freedom movement which is busy with the conclusion of a National Democratic Revolution. That is why within the ANC you find convinced communists and capitalists; socialists and Africanists and various intermediary combinations thereof. The cement which to date has kept them together was their joint struggle history rather than a common ideology and policy.

The good news is that the ANC and South African opposition politics will, following the creation of a new political party from the membership of the ANC, never be the same again. The establishment of a new party out of the existing ANC, is not the end of the ANC, but is definitely the beginning of the end of the ANC as we have come to know it since 1912.

The ANC splits - how did we get here?

What happened in the ANC that has brought us to this point?

I give my summation of events which have lead to the current situation.

In 1994 President Mandela did not want Mr. Thabo Mbeki as his deputy president. His choice was Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa. One of Mr. Mandela's reasons was that it should not appear that a Xhosa clique existed in a country which is very sensitive about its ethnicity. Messrs. Mbeki and Mandela are both Xhosas.

Mr. Mbeki is very good with lobby-politics in the inner circles. With lobby-politics he succeeded in getting Ms. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela of the Women's League, Mr. Peter Mokaba of the ANC Youth and Mr. Jacob Zuma as prominent Zulu ANC Member to support him. With this pressure on Mandela, he appointed Mr. Mbeki as deputy president. Mr. Ramaphosa was offered the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. He saw this as an insult and eventually exchanged the political world for the business world.

Mr. Mbeki thereafter created the climate within the ANC that the deputy president of the ANC automatically succeeds the president. When Mr. Mandela retired as president after only one term, Mr. Mbeki was elected unopposed at the ANC's 1997 conference in Mafeking as president of the ANC and so also the next president of South Africa.

The question was now, who has to become the deputy president in Mr. Mbeki's place? Mr. Mbeki wanted to avoid already appointing his successor. Mr. Jacob Zuma was a harmless and loyal ANC member who, according to the opinion of the Mbeki grouping, could never be president. The solution was to appoint Zuma as deputy president. In so doing, the real struggle for Mr. Mbeki's successor was postponed till later.

Thereafter Mr. Mbeki goes overseas as usual while Mr. Zuma does his work as deputy president. Mr. Zuma attends all the ANC funerals with Ms. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and he addresses stadium crowds in the absence of Mr. Mbeki. When Mr. Mbeki returned from one of his many overseas visits, he discovers that ANC supporters accept that Mr. Zuma would be his successor in the same way that Mbeki had created the climate that he would automatically become Mr. Mandela's successor. That was unacceptable for Mr. Mbeki. Where he as president should have gotten rid of poor ministers such as Mrs. Msimang of Health, he did not fire any minister. At the first possible opportunity (June 2005) he does however fire Mr. Zuma as deputy president and so believes that he solved the problem.

(It is noticeable that on the day of Mr. Zuma's firing, Mr. Lekota was making jokes with us as the opposition about it from across the Assembly floor, while the other ministers were upset, despondent and sad. As number three in the ANC behind Mr. Zuma, Mr. Lekota most certainly had done the math and had seen himself as the strongest pretender to replace Mr. Mbeki.)

To better understand Mbeki's end as president, we should quickly give attention to an important sideshow in 2001. Five years after Mbeki was elected as ANC president in 1997, various top positions had to be filled again at the ANC's national conference in 2002. Cyril Ramaphosa, Matthews Phosa and Tokyo Sexwale, are some of the names which are mentioned as possible successors to Mbeki. It is important that they should start stepping forward.

Out of the blue, a year before the ANC's national conference, Minister Steve Tshwete, the Minister of Safety and Security, alleges in 2001 that there is a plot against Mr. Mbeki which threatens his life. Coincidentally, he drops the names of Cyril Ramaphosa, Matthews Phosa and Tokyo Sexwale on television as those who are involved in the plot. The police investigate the issue and at the end of that year Minister Tshwete apologises to the three after nothing could be proven. The allegations however does so much damage to these three's public image that they are effectively knocked out of any successor-race and find themselves outside of politics in the cold.

During these plot allegations I could not but think of former President Mandela's words when he congratulated Mr. Mbeki with his unanimous appointment as president in 1997 at the Mafikeng ANC conference. Mr. Mandela said at the time to the congress: "One of the temptations of a leader who has been elected unopposed (as Mr Mbeki) is that he may use his powerful position to settle scores with his detractors, marginalise them, and in certain cases, get rid of them and surround himself with yes-men and -women...A leader must keep the forces together, but you can't do that unless you allow dissent...people should even be able to criticise the leader without fear or favour..." (Gevisser p. 698) It is interesting that Mandela`s speech on the ANC's website has been edited to excise these comments.

When Mr. Zuma was thereafter kicked out by Mr. Mbeki, he found outside in the political cold an alliance of aggrieved parties who welcomed him with open arms. The SACP and Cosatu were already out in the cold and upset with Mbeki because he increasingly cut them out of policy decisions and announced economic policy adjustments such as GEAR without knowing them in that beforehand. Ramaphosa, Sexwale and Phosa are also out in the cold with their own grievances against Mr. Mbeki. Zuma is welcomed by them because he, with his popularity with ordinary ANC members, is an ideal candidate to push in front in their struggle against Mbeki.

This struggle reached its peak in a clash at the ANC's 2007 conference in Polokwane. Polokwane was actually the ANC's first true democratic leadership election since 1994. Mbeki made the mistake of his life to make himself available for a third term.

Any sensitive political observer could already at the start of the ANC's Polokwane conference in December 2007 see how the wind was blowing and that Mr. Zuma would defeat Mr. Mbeki for the position of president. Many political journalists and commentators, including Mr. Muleleki George, Mr. Mbeki's chief organizer, had up to the end predicted that Mr. Mbeki would easily win.

Mr. Mbeki's supporters arrived at the conference in BMW's, Mercedeses and other expensive luxury cars. Except for the Xhosa supporters from the Eastern Cape, the majority of President Mbeki's supporters were the new wealthy middle class. There numbers were however few in comparison to Mr. Zuma's supporters.

The Zuma supporters arrived in old busses which drove for nine hours from the far corners of the country. Where Mbeki's supporters wore neat Italian shoes and European suits, the Zuma supporters wore T-shirts and sang popular Zuma songs such as the "Umshini Wam" song.

Mbeki supporters sat in the front of the hall and every time there had been cheers, stuck three fingers in the air. That indicated a third term for Mr. Mbeki.

The Zuma supporters sat in the back of the hall. When Mr. Lekota as chairperson or any other person whom they did not like appeared on the stage, they loudly showed their disapproval by making a rolling movement with their hands. That is the sign which soccer enthusiasts use when they think it is time to substitute a poor player with a better one.

It was quite clear that there were many more rolling movements as the three finger delegates in the hall!

After Mr. Zuma's victory, he indicated that Mr. Mbeki should stay on as president until the 2009 election. It would ensure economic stability, but from Mr. Zuma's point of view, would also ensure ANC unity until the elections were held.

Former President PW Botha followed the unwritten political rule that you do not stomp on a political opponent who had been damaged politically, with the understanding that he lies quietly.

When it appeared that Mr. Mbeki did not want to lie still and it appeared that he was actively encouraging the prosecution of Mr. Zuma, the radicals on the side of Mr. Zuma demanded that they should get rid of Mr. Mbeki - he was a danger that could prevent a Zuma Presidency. Mr. Zuma tried to prevent this by indicating that one does not keep on hitting a dead snake. The radicals answered that the snake was clearly not dead. Its head had to be chopped off and the snake had to be buried permanently!

This leads to the decision of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) to ask Mr. Mbeki to resign (20/09/2008). The objective was however to only cut the cherry on-top of the organisation (Mr. Mbeki) or was it a mole according to some - out without damaging the rest of the ANC's body.

After Mr. Mbeki had resigned, Mr. Zuma immediately called the Cabinet together and requested that nobody tenders their resignations. A few days later (23/09/2008) a large number of ministers did however resign. That was when Minister Manuel's resignation had lead to a drastic fall in the markets for a short while.

There were however two types of resignations. Ministers such as Pahad, Lekota and Mufamadi, from Mr. Mbeki's inner circle, announced that they were not prepared to continue as Ministers in a Zuma ANC. Most other Ministers, such as Minister Trevor Manuel, indicated that they were immediately available for appointment to the Cabinet. (Ministers such as Msimang and Van Schalkwyk did of course not take the chance to resign!)

In order to prevent any further split, Mr. Zuma allowed President Kgalema Motlanthe to once again appoint all the Mbeki Minister's, even Mrs. Msimang.

After the Mbeki group were kicked out of the majority of posts at the Polokwane conference, it was clear that it was not the end of the struggle. On the evening of December 18, 2007 shortly after Jacob Zuma was elected president of the ANC, Mr Mluleki George addressed an impromptu gathering of the wounded Mbeki supporters and declared: "The battle continues, comrades!"

These events irrevocably leads to first Mr. Lekota and thereafter Mr. Shilowa (29/09/2008) announcing that they are not interested to go on with the new ANC leadership and that the divorce papers have been served. The Sandton Convention (1/11/2008) follows on this and the creation of a new party on 16 December this year.

Will the real ANC please stand up

Is Mr. Zuma's ANC or Mr. Lekota's ANC the real ANC? If a product like Omo in the advertising world does not sell that well anymore, the advertising people develop a New Whiter Omo. In the same way we had the NP and thereafter the NNP (New NP) in the political world.

A more appropriate comparison with what is at present happening in the ANC, would be the NP split in the late sixties, when the Herstigte Nasionale Party (Reformed National Party) came into existence. Both fought to indicate that they were the true NP, its policy and history. The HNP only added Herstigte (Reformed) in front of the name. Both honoured Verwoerd as its leader but thereafter one had to choose between Vorster and Albert Hertzog and Jaap Marais.

The ANC's struggle is at present exactly the same. We have an ANC and a Herstigte (Reformed) ANC. Both are fighting to indicate that they are the true standard bearer of the ANC, its policy, the Freedom Charter and the historical apartheid struggle. From there the struggle to have the word "Congress", which refers to the 1955 Congress, retained in the new party's name. Both honour Mandela as leader but thereafter you have to choose between Zuma and Lekota and Shilowa.

Because individuals in the ANC represent such diverse economic policy directions, it has for a long time been predicted that the ANC will split. The prediction is that the one group will be more Marxist-Socialist and will form a type of Labour Party with Cosatu and the SACP playing a prominent role in it. The other grouping will be more market orientated and social democratic with leaders such as Trevor Manuel and Cyril Ramaphosa playing a more prominent role.

The current split in the ANC is not this split. This split will still be taking place in the future. The current split is taking place more around grievances than it is around ideological differences. One can prove this by only looking at the leaders of the two groupings.

The trade union Cosatu have leaders in both groupings. Mr. Zwelinsima Vavi is on the side of Mr. Zuma and Mr. Willie Madisha on the side of Lekota.

Mr. Gwede Mantashe is one of the prominent SACP members on the side of Mr. Zuma and Mr. Phillip Dexter, former treasurer of the Communist Party is on the side of Lekota.

"The new party is anti-socialist and only free-market orientated," a journalist reasoned with me. As proof he refers to Mr. Mbhazima Shilowa, former premier of Gauteng, who is a multi-millionaire as well as is the case with Lekota. If the journalists division is correct, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa and Mathews Phosa would also be on the side of Mr. Lekota. They are however enthusiastic supporters of Mr. Zuma. So too, Mr. Manuel.

Before the new party has not spelled out its economic policy, there is no indication that this is the truly expected ANC split on the grounds of economic policy differences. I would like to predict that we will have little clarity about this before the election.

The same goes for the Zuma ANC. After the election, Mr. Zuma will be under pressure from the SACP and Cosatu to bring about certain economic policy changes. The question is whether he and Mr. Trevor Manuel will resist this pressure and be prepared to, in the interest of South Africa, make the right but unpopular economic decisions? Then only will we know who the real ANC is and where we stand with the two parties.

Pros and cons of the new politics

I only have time to focus on the electoral system.

There is at present arguments in favour of a return to the constituency system which we had prior to 1994. With constituencies voters have a parliamentary member which has to report to them and the party bosses have less say. If president Mbeki had been elected directly by the voters, the ANC would also not have been able to get rid of him so easily, is a further argument.

Proponents of such a change forget that Mugabe has been elected as president for 28 years already directly by the voters. Such a president is also not untouchable and in South Africa's case the ANC with their majority in Parliament would easily have gotten rid of Mbeki.

A disadvantage of a constituency system in South Africa is that it, without a doubt, would lead to the ANC in the next election obtaining 80% of all the seats. A rough projection can be made if the results of the local ward elections in 2006 are used. (In the 2006 local government elections there were 3895 wards. Of these the ANC won 3035 wards - that is 79%!) That, while all indications show that the ANC, under a proportional electoral system, will receive less than 66% in the next elections and will most probably in the 2014 elections get less than 50%.

The constituency system lends itself to reducing the chances of opposition parties winning, through manipulated border demarcations and with loaded constituencies. Ask the old Progs how they got many votes nationally, but in the whole of South Africa, only in the Houghton constituency could Helen Suzman win.

The FF Plus specially made a study of the proportional electoral system in Germany, the Netherlands and Israel after this electoral system was chosen in 1994. Part of it included that I attend an election in the Netherlands.

The proportional electoral system, without a doubt leads to a more representative parliament than the constituency/ward system. The problem until now was that the proportional system did not work in South Africa completely because the ANC had 70% of the support and had won all nine provinces.

In those countries which we studied, the strongest party hardly gets 40%. Such a strongest party can after an election only govern by entering into coalitions with other parties. Through this, the electoral system forms another constitutional check and balance to prevent the abuse of power by the strongest party.

With the split of the ANC, the advantages of a proportional system will for the first time after 1994 become clear in South Africa as different provinces will after the election be governed by coalition governments with the ANC in opposition.

The Cape Metro Council is presently the only example that we have in South Africa where such a coalition of political parties forced the ANC into opposition.

I believe that the current proportional electoral system's advantages in a country such as South Africa, far outweighs the disadvantages.

What do we do now?

Following the firing of President Mbeki and the forming of the new Lekota party, it is possible for the first time since 1994 to reduce the big majority of the ANC and to prevent that the ANC govern in all nine provinces.

To get the support for the ANC in the next election under two thirds (66%) it is very important that opposition voters turn out in large numbers to register and to vote. Opposition voters who do not go and vote out of protest or recklessness, however only once again increase the ANC's support.

With simple math it can be explained why opposition voters who do not vote in our proportional electoral system, increase the ANC's support. For the sake of the example, we accept that only ten voters had cast their votes. The percentage of parliamentary members which each party receives is then calculated out of ten votes. If the ANC had obtained six votes and the opposition parties together four, the ANC will get 60% of the parliamentary members in Cape Town or in a provincial legislature and the opposition parties get 40%.

If one opposition voter stays away, the ANC has still obtained six votes while the opposition parties now only have three votes. The calculation is then done out of nine and no longer ten. The ANC has six out of nine votes or 66%. Without the ANC obtaining more votes, the ANC suddenly has 6% more parliamentary members in Cape Town or in a provincial legislature. The stay-away-voter therefore caused the ANC to improve its performance!

A second step is to prevent the ANC of governing in all nine provinces. For this meaningful cooperation between opposition parties are needed. The prerequisite for successful cooperation is that the model on which the opposition parties cooperate has to be such that it will draw the biggest possible number of opposition voters to the ballot boxes to vote against the ANC.

Mrs. Helen Zille as DA leader's cooperation model proposes one party, with one candidates list to obtain this. She predicts that the DA can beat the ANC and win the election in 2014 on its own. Research at present and the future will prove this prediction totally wrong. This propaganda approach hampers responsible cooperation between opposition parties. What is more irresponsible is that this cooperation model will mobilise less opposition votes against the ANC than the proposal of the other opposition parties.

The other cooperation model proposes that each opposition party participates in the election under their own party names and so try and draw the maximum number of votes against the ANC from their individual niche markets.

Where the ANC, for example in a province such as the Western Cape may obtain less than 50% of the votes, the opposition parties, before the elections, give an undertaking to the voters, to cooperate after the elections and form a provincial government with the ANC being in the opposition. The model includes an undertaking to not fight each other during the election but to focus on the ANC.

Why will this model get more opposition votes at the ballot box?

Because of the unique variety and composition of the South African electorate. This unique composition appears from the fact that of the 30% of opposition votes in the previous election, the DA obtained 12%. That means that less than half, 47 of the 107, opposition parliamentary members are at present DA members.

Dr. Buthelezi for example obtains votes against the ANC and for the IFP from traditional Zulu Chiefs from the outstretched rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. These voters will rather stay away than to vote if the IFP is not on the ballot paper.

General Holomisa at present obtains the votes for the UDM and against the ANC in the Eastern Cape. If the UDM is not on the ballot paper, these voters will not vote.

Municipal by-elections show that Patricia de Lille is at present getting the votes on the Cape Flats and in the Northern Cape which Helen Zille and the DA can never get. According to these voters, the DA has an image of "rich and exalted" while Patricia is "one of us".

The FF Plus is at present getting the votes of Afrikaans voters who seriously differ from the DA about many issues. They write letters to explain that the DA constitution has no reference to Christianity and that they would rather stay away than to vote for a DA type of party.

This problem can be solved by allowing opposition parties to get the maximum support from their own niche market. In this way the total number of opposition votes following the elections will be considerably more than where voters had to vote for only one party with a DA image. After the elections these parties cooperate intelligently with each other against the ANC.

With exactly this cooperation model Cape Town was kept out of the hands of the ANC following the previous local government elections. Repeating this model can in future keep the Western Cape, the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Cape Metro Council as well as the Tshwane Metro Council out of the hands of the ANC.

In the light of the crisis in the country, a decision on a realistic cooperation model has to be taken as soon as possible. In this regard it is meaningful that no other opposition party supports the cooperation model of the DA.

Conclusion

The FF Plus continuously engages with various opposition parties and would continue to do so in an effort to obtain the goals set out above.

I started with the statement that the establishment of a new party out of the existing ANC, is not the end of the ANC, but is definitely the beginning of the end of the ANC as we have come to know it since 1912. The ANC and South African opposition politics will never be the same again.

I remember the picture in 2004 on television where Mr. Mbeki and Mr. Zuma, with their hands intertwined triumphantly held above their heads, announced the ANC's 70% victory. Mr. Lekota as the number three in the ANC appeared on television with them. No political commentator could predict then that the situation in 2008, only four years later, would have changed so drastically between these three top ANC leaders. If it can change in four years so much, what could South Africa not look like in another four years from now?

Issued by the Freedom Front Plus November 13 2008

Lydon

November 13th, 2008, 09:22 PM

Hence the DA "rebranding" process they're about to undertake.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 09:23 PM

Hence the DA "rebranding" process they're about to undertake.

Rebranding won't do the trick as the DA are old wine in a new bottle.

Die Kapenaar

November 13th, 2008, 09:24 PM

De Lille on the opposition after the end of ANC dominance

Patricia de Lille

12 November 2008

Speech by the leader of the Independent Democrats November 12 2008

"The future of South African opposition politics"

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by saying that the idea of opposition is problematic for a number of reasons.

Firstly, we in the Independent Democrats have never felt comfortable with the idea of ‘opposition', with the idea that our existence is based on opposing something.

The ID was founded on the basis of positive values; of standing for something as opposed to against something.

I know that the DA like to oppose everything and are anti- this and that and therefore happy to call themselves the opposition - but we in the ID prefer a more positive set of values.

Secondly, the recent changes in our political landscape require that the question should really be about the future of political parties and not the future of opposition parties.

What we are currently witnessing is the end of the complete dominance of the ANC in South African politics and the opening up of political space.

This opening up will in turn generate greater competition in our politics and force all political parties to become more accountable to the electorate.

It will also open up more opportunities for coalition arrangements, which have already been pioneered in the Western Cape where the ID is in government with other parties in 20 municipalities.

It will therefore become increasingly complicated to talk about the concept of opposition.

As I said earlier, the ID in any event has never seen itself in the narrow straight jacket of an opposition party.

Our existence is not simply defined by our opposition to the ANC, but rather by the issues and vision that we have consistently fought for. This is an important distinction because too often parties have allowed themselves to be narrowly defined by their blind opposition to the ANC.

We need to generate a new political discourse in South Africa, where the focus is on putting people at the centre of politics, where we are driven by dealing with real issues and not political grandstanding. The changing political landscape is characterized by many things, including the recent split in the ANC and the growing disenchantment that many in the electorate have felt.

This has been reflected in the consistent drop in voter participation in elections and the feeling amongst many South Africans that they are not enjoying the fruits of our democracy. A growing divide has unfortunately opened up between the people of South Africa and its leaders, where often the debates at the national level are disconnected from the issues on the ground.

Parties have often been more concerned with scoring points against each other rather than dealing with the real issues affecting so many South Africans. What we are also witnessing now on the party political level, is a sudden rush to form new parties, rebrand old one's and the spinning of a different message to the electorate.

That infamous phrase of Barack Obama's ‘lipstick on a pig' comes to mind.

Even the ANC is trying to position itself differently, with their contradictory argument that there will be both continuity and change in ruling party policy. Jacob Zuma preaches continuity to the business community, while preaching change to Cosatu and the SACP.

On the other hand, the leaders of COPE are now coming out and trying to pass themselves off as the defenders of the Freedom Charter, when many of them were in leadership positions within the ANC when the Freedom Charter was abandoned.

Even the DA is trying desperately not to be left out of this charade, with its recent announcement that it intends to re-launch itself and try to convince South Africans that they are no longer a party that is simply anti-ANC, anti-transformation and defenders of privilege in our society.

The majority of our people are desperate for real change and want to see what political parties will actually do to tackle the real socio-economic issues that are affecting so many in South Africa. They will look not only at the policies of parties, but more importantly at who has actually been fighting to implement a progressive vision for South Africa in both their words and actions.

As the ID we believe that we need to cut through the political posturing and focus on the real issues of transformation, of fighting poverty and injustice, and ensuring that all our people have access to the basic necessities to live healthy, productive lives.

One of the major problems in South African politics has been a complete failure of accountability. Politicians have not been held accountable for their promises, Ministers have not been sanctioned for non-performance, and no action has been taken against corrupt politicians. This clearly has to change.

We can have the best policies in the world, but if people are not held accountable for implementing them then we, and the poor in particular, are no better off.

On a national level we have seen many examples of this, such as the complete failure in governance when it came to the electricity crisis and the recent admission on the part of government that they have allowed our criminal justice system to descend into chaos.

The Arms Deal not only represents an example of how the poor have been forsaken to further the interests of the ANC and certain corrupt individuals, but also of the double standards of some of those who now claim to stand up for the right thing.

I have been outspoken on this issue since I first raised it in Parliament in 1999 and as a result I have been on the receiving end of threats and insults both from members of the current ANC and the newly formed COPE.

I still remember when I stood up in Parliament and claimed that the ANC had received R500 000 from Thyssen-Krupp. It was the very same Mr Lekota who stood up and defended the ANC's actions and attacked me in the same manner that many other members of the ANC have done over the past decade.

As the ID we are still wanting to know whether COPE will support our call for a judicial commission of inquiry into the Arms Deal, and if so why those very same leaders rejected such a call when they were in a position of power.

The ID is not interested in rebranding itself because we have remained consistent with our vision and direction. We are a party that is committed to fighting injustice in South Africa, wherever it occurs.

We have taken on the ANC when it stole from the poor in the Arms Deal and we have taken on companies who have stolen from the poor through price-fixing. We used our power in the multi-party coalition to reject the 2007 budget in the City of Cape Town until the DA listened to us and put in safeguards for the poor.

Ultimately we don't care who you are, if you are not serious about tackling the issues of poverty, inequality and transformation in this country we will certainly take you on. In this way we can ensure that our politics does not descend into a narrow elite debate about personalities and sophisticated spin.

The ID is determined to build a new vision for South Africa, one which firstly recognizes the enormity of the challenge that comes with half of our population living in dire poverty and with our level of inequality being one of the worst in the world.

It is also a vision in which all of us stands up for what is right, from fighting corruption in all parts of our society to demanding that every South African is given the dignity that comes from gaining access to basic services such as electricity, water, healthcare and quality education.

We can't afford to leave anyone behind in this endeavour and the ID will continue to ask the uncomfortable questions on behalf of those who are still not given a voice in our democracy.

This is a text of the speech to the Centre for Conflict Resolution by Patricia de Lille, leader of the Independent Democrats, Cape Town, November 12 2008

Lydon

November 13th, 2008, 10:02 PM

Rebranding won't do the trick as the DA are old wine in a new bottle.

and the ID will never be as big as the DA but little miss De Lille only makes noise when it comes to elections. She's all too happy saying the DA like to oppose this and that but that's exactly the point of being the opposition.

Up until recently I forgot she even exists to be honest.

briker

November 14th, 2008, 02:09 AM

Well said Ms De Lille. Politicians on all fronts tend to forget the real issues, and about their duties as civil servants.
And let's not get cocky with the DA's size. It's support base is still rather small and it's only in power in certain areas, because of the ID's support. We should comment both strong women from the ID & DA, for their commitment.

annman

November 14th, 2008, 08:12 AM

I tend to not listen to the political mudslinging... it always happens, i.e.:
ANC are communists (although nowadays, it's starting to come somewhat true)
ID is just one lady
DA is rich white and English trust fund children
VF+ is apartheid in waiting
IFP are loin-cloth apartheid government-lacky Zulus

Blah and blah and blah... Some points are good, but I tend to overlook the commentary on other party's policies.

It's politics, people will call people names... regardless of what Zuma says about the DA or COPE, or what Patricia says about the DA or whatever...

The most fruitful coalition is one between the ID and the DA, I think they have proved themselves worthy in the City of Cape Town as productive partners, as balancing the needs of business, development and the poor. They have proved themselves co-operative, go-getters, communicative with their city constituents and proactive.

As for Badhi Chaaban, he is dangerous and has proved himself an uncivil human being when in Council. Great bed for him to lie in with Zuma! :ohno:

*Whispers* I see stupid people...

EduardSA

November 14th, 2008, 11:19 AM

Hahahaha Die Kaapenaar you can't use De Lille and Mulder to quote them on the DA's support. First De Lille dislikes DA becuase they're targeting the same voters and Mulder has his own reservations becuase the DA has the vast support of the Afrikaans community (so quite stupid to say it's for rich english-speaking SA). Biggest biased opinion ever. Also, I remember what happened during the 2007 budget. The DA inherited a messed up budget in deficit from the ANC and they had to rearrange and raise rates to cover necessary infrastructural costs so Cape Town doesn't implode. Back in 2007 the ID was still in bed with the ANC, so obviously when the ANC said there weren't pro-poor safeguards, the ID also shouted the same thing, only becuase there was an increase in rates. However people forget that the DA is pro-poor and their budget was pro-poor. The rates they implemented were progressive, meaning the increases barely or didn't affected the poor at all. This just shows you how dirty De Lille is and will always be. She treats her own party members with disrespect, she back stabs to gain fast power as was proven with the PAC and now with the DA, she associated exactly with the party which is constantly runs against, and she has an authoritarian grip over her party (i mean check the website it's only about De Lille, what about the rest of the leadership?). The ID, along with the ANC, has constantly taken the DA's ideas and presented them as their own. The ID in my opinion lacks any principles to actually run an effective government. It's all talk but no action. Anyone can say "Viva democracy and equality" but what is actually is what actually counts. I mean look at Zuma, saying wonderful things, yet doing the opposite. Fact: DA municipalities have been the most effectively-run municipalities in the country. Now that tells me alot about what the party can do for us. The ID has either taken a back seat or where they get involved they just constantly criticize, leaving all the work to the DA. The only guy in the ID who I think is good is Simon Grindrod, but he gets very emotional and personal when it gets to De Lille, so I'm worried if he's loyal to the party or to De Lille?

Btw Macassar doesn't tell us anything. The DA has beaten the ID in many coloured communities, they even won a by-election in Natal. Can the ID ever achieve that? In Macassar, they only won becuase the DA candidate was weak compared to the previous one, not becuase of the people were against the DA. Also the ANC expressly gave their support to the ID, so the ID actually won on a combined ID-ANC vote. AND let's remember the percentages, the ID didn't attain majority. They beat the DA 42% to 39%, by 200 votes. Way too close to call that an outright ID victory. But congrats on gettin your one and only by-election :)

If the ID got rid of De Lille I would have ssooo mcuh more resepct for that party. But then would the ID exist?

EduardSA

November 14th, 2008, 11:25 AM

Does anyone still remember this?

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/n825625130_4263279_4996.jpg

EduardSA

November 14th, 2008, 11:27 AM

Lydon

November 14th, 2008, 03:02 PM

AMEN! ^^

Die Kapenaar

November 14th, 2008, 10:44 PM

Btw Macassar doesn't tell us anything. The DA has beaten the ID in many coloured communities, they even won a by-election in Natal. Can the ID ever achieve that? In Macassar, they only won becuase the DA candidate was weak compared to the previous one, not becuase of the people were against the DA. Also the ANC expressly gave their support to the ID, so the ID actually won on a combined ID-ANC vote. AND let's remember the percentages, the ID didn't attain majority. They beat the DA 42% to 39%, by 200 votes. Way too close to call that an outright ID victory. But congrats on gettin your one and only by-election :)

The ANC contested Macassar against the DA and ID but saw it's support there melt down from 30% support to 12% so the ID had in fact gained support from the ANC just like it did from the DA.

And Macassar is not the only ward byelection where the ID trumped the DA. It also happened in George where a coloured DA mayor (Basil Petrus) was sacked and joined the ID and won his seat back. BTW, he was made speaker while the DA appointed a white person to take his place as mayor.

Die Kapenaar

November 14th, 2008, 10:48 PM

Oh Die Kapenaar, if De Lille is sssoo pro-poor, where was she when Zille risked herself to walk side by side with the Mitchell's Plain community against drugs. I guess at home sipping tea on her bloated MP salary. Zille is the only opposition leader that has actually being going directly to the community and its people, which is amazing in her tight schedule.

Helen Zille has a inflated ego where her head has gotten bigger than her body. I just don't want to see you get disappointed when 2009 comes around and the DA fails to get more than the 10% support it usually gets in the national election and fails to grow it's eroding support base in the Western Cape.

Die Kapenaar

November 14th, 2008, 10:49 PM

Die Kapenaar

November 14th, 2008, 10:51 PM

Record number of by-elections in December

11/14/2008 7:03:37 AM

The Independent Electoral Commission says so far, 27 by-elections are set to take place in eight municipalities, come December the 10th.

In the Cape Town Metro alone, 8 wards are up for grabs.

The IEC's Provincial Electoral Officer, Courtney Sampson says most of the 27 by-elections are the result of ANC councillors resigning or being expelled.

He says eight wards in Cape Town, five in the Drakenstein area, four in the municipality of Matsikamma and 4 in the Cederberg, amongst others, will be contested. That’s the highest number of by-elections they've seen in the Western Cape.

Sampson adds while the IEC is extremely pressured for time, any challenges will be faced head on.

Meanwhile, the COPE has indicated it will contest all the by-elections.

Cape Talk 567

Die Kapenaar

November 14th, 2008, 10:59 PM

In Cape Town there are 7 vacant councillor wards on the City of Cape Town website:

Wards 33, 34, 35, 88 - Philippi
Ward 52 Langa
Ward 75 Gugulethu

Langa and Gugulethu are predominantly black African while Philippi is majority black African with a large coloured community (includes many Cape Muslims).

Lydon

November 15th, 2008, 01:15 AM

What I find funny is the fact that you're calling Helen Zille big-headed, when De Lille is the one with the loud mouth but no action to back any of it up. In fact, as mentioned earlier in this thread, she goes AGAINST her word. I see you've failed to excuse the precious ID for that...

Anyway, the DA losing support? From what's happening around me, the total opposite is the case.

EduardSA

November 15th, 2008, 07:26 AM

The ANC contested Macassar against the DA and ID but saw it's support there melt down from 30% support to 12% so the ID had in fact gained support from the ANC just like it did from the DA.

And Macassar is not the only ward byelection where the ID trumped the DA. It also happened in George where a coloured DA mayor (Basil Petrus) was sacked and joined the ID and won his seat back. BTW, he was made speaker while the DA appointed a white person to take his place as mayor.

Ya, that's becuase the ANC didn't want to do the same mistake they did in Tafelsig by pulling out and backing the ID directly, which resulted in an ID ward going to the DA. I remember the articles and the talk before Macassar, the ANC gave their backing to the ID, but didn't pull out to give an impression of their usual tight relationship which might anger some ID supporters. That is why many ANC voters voted ID even though they supported the ANC, just to get the DA out... The ANC and the ID had quite a tight relationship back then, everyone thought it would become another NNP. Luckily De Lille is too selfish too give up the ID.

Don't even get me started on Basil Petrus!! The DA kicked him not becuase he was coloured, but becuase he had serious misconduct, which included racial remarks and outrageous behaviour. He didn't adhere to the principles of the DA and embarrassed himself, the DA, and George. It would have been worse if they kept him. It just shows you the kind of people that are in the ID :ohno: The only reason why he won his ward back was becuase he made himself a victim becuase of his colour and obviously his ward (which voted for him for so long) reacted. The DA doesn't look at colour, you just need the right principles to stand and Basil didn't have them, so the ID can keep him.

EduardSA

November 15th, 2008, 07:28 AM

Helen Zille has a inflated ego where her head has gotten bigger than her body. I just don't want to see you get disappointed when 2009 comes around and the DA fails to get more than the 10% support it usually gets in the national election and fails to grow it's eroding support base in the Western Cape.

Hahahaha Zille an inflated ego? What proof do you have? Is going out helping the community and solving problems an inflated ego? De Lille in my opinion has the biggest ego of them all (in the Zuma league lol). She always butts in to gain votes, never to really help the people. Why is it only De Lille's face is on the ID website and her name on every ID news? Because she's modest? Come on, who ever thinks that is living in a dream world!

briker

November 15th, 2008, 09:48 AM

EduardSA

November 15th, 2008, 12:28 PM

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/da.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/daII.jpg

Did anyone see the relaunch on SABC2? Amazing IMO!

Lydon

November 15th, 2008, 12:39 PM

^^ I see a resemblance:

http://www.barackobama.com/images/widgets/Obama08_ThumbLogo200.gif

Hehe

herb21

November 15th, 2008, 12:45 PM

I was just about to post that http://www.da.org.za/ reminded me of http://www.barackobama.com/index.php not just the logo but the whole branding and image

Lydon

November 15th, 2008, 01:02 PM

Exactly. The whole website is very similar to Obama's.

herb21

November 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM

Im just not sure if it is a bad or good thing? But I guess at least the rising sun was always a DA motiff

Lydon

November 15th, 2008, 01:17 PM

I think it's a good thing. Sure, it may come across as unoriginal, but let's face it - Obama's tactics worked. So why can't the DA use them too?

JohanSA

November 15th, 2008, 02:41 PM

VIVA ZILLE VIVA NEW DA!

briker

November 16th, 2008, 12:57 AM

:nuts::lol:

Cape Town Guy

November 16th, 2008, 08:37 AM

I think it is very smart of them. The, it is almost like they want to evolve with COPE and bring a new life into politics. The ANC is getting a bit stale. As for the logo and the new site, I think it is really neat. Like the way that the news showed that they had their meeting in a decent modern looking environment when just before they showed Zuma dancing around on a cheap stage with old everything. Impressions count.

Kwame

November 16th, 2008, 08:40 AM

Get off Obama's coattail DA! :lol:

annman

November 16th, 2008, 08:45 AM

There will be many "governments in waiting" on Obama's coat-tails... people desperate for change in their countries' will use Obama as a shining model of what can be.

Cape Town Guy

November 16th, 2008, 09:11 AM

well I am getting the vibe that there are a lot of DA fans here, who all want a lot of change. I hope that there is a big shack up next year. They are relying on COPE to cause havok.

annman

November 16th, 2008, 09:18 AM

Well, in the Western Cape, it is to be expected there are more Zille fans than Zuma fans! :) Think most people in general are just fed up with the ANC's arrogance, stranglehold on politics, infighting, militant-behavior and rhetoric and unintelligent leadership (except Kgalema).

Cape Town Guy

November 16th, 2008, 09:23 AM

oh I am completely with you there. :)

JohanSA

November 16th, 2008, 10:25 AM

And the anc is still stuck in the previous century! when i think of the anc and its die hard supporters i think of people like the guy that racially abused 20 white students including me yesterday when one of the people still writing exams asked him to please turn down his music because she was trying to study. not once did any one of us retaliate with racism even though we were called every insult imaginable! when i think of the DA and COPE i think of clrd guy that came out and stopped him.

Cape Town Guy

November 16th, 2008, 11:23 AM

Lydon

November 16th, 2008, 02:32 PM

^^ Exactly. We can't dwell on the past forever.

annman

November 16th, 2008, 03:01 PM

^^ If the ANC had it their way... we'd have an Apartheid Hangover for infinity. Nothing better to keep the masses in their pocket than through fear!

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 06:46 PM

http://www.vocfm.co.za/public/images/middlebar_3_new_left.jpg

ANC lost W Cape: Rasool

Posted on: 2008-11-19 15:45:03

While the African National Congress might still be able to maintain its national hold after the 2009 elections, it is almost a fait accompli that the Western Cape has escaped the hold of the ruling party. This was the consensus reached on Wednesday by a panel of Muslim experts, led by presidential advisor, Ebrahim Rasool, Prof Suleman Dangor of the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Department of Islamic Studies, CII program manager Zahid Asmal and VOC program manager, Munadia Karaan.

Speaking on a CII current affairs program, Rasool said factors that left the ANC position weaker in the Western Cape were the split within the ANC, the rise of the Congress of the People (Cope), the inroads made by people like Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille and the removal of the ANC foot soldiers who engineers the 2004 election victory in the Western Cape.

“It is a sign of a maturing democracy that the ANC has now lost its ‘holiness’. Before there was a knee jerk reaction to voting for the liberation movement to whom we owed our freedom. But suddenly there has been a massive fall out and the ANC has ceded its moral authority. This has opened the way for splits in the party which others like COPE, the DA and ID can now benefit from. While I would agree that we could still see the ANC holding on as ruling party on the national level, it is almost certain that this will not be the case in the Western Cape,” Rasool said.

“Voters now have much more choices and while it leads to confusion, it also means that people will have to think harder about the choices they make. It is no longer a debate between the liberation movement and a white government as during the Apartheid era. People are now beginning to ask questions on a party’s policies and how that will impact on their lives. The interesting thing is that no one appears to have benefited immediately from the ANC fall out because most people are playing a wait and see game on who to give their vote to.”

According to Rasool, it was a good sign that people were asking probing question on issues that matter to them. “The big question is whether we will approach (the elections) in that way or address it as fragmented politics. If the latter occurs, it allows political parties to focus on soft moral issues like abortion and liquor, which really is an immature response within a maturing political environment.”

He said the serious questions the public was now asking was forcing the ANC to look within at how it addressed such issues of concern to the public, who its spokes people were and what they were saying. However, it is not certain whether the outcome of the 2009 elections will be determined by social issues like rising food prices, crime, unemployment – which are rising to prominence amid a worsening economic scenario – or by personalities “like the Malemas, Zumas, Zilles, Vavi’s, Nzimande’s and Shilowas”.

Stay tuned to Open Lines at 12pm on Thursday for more on this story. VOC

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:20 PM

Ya, that's becuase the ANC didn't want to do the same mistake they did in Tafelsig by pulling out and backing the ID directly, which resulted in an ID ward going to the DA. I remember the articles and the talk before Macassar, the ANC gave their backing to the ID, but didn't pull out to give an impression of their usual tight relationship which might anger some ID supporters. That is why many ANC voters voted ID even though they supported the ANC, just to get the DA out... The ANC and the ID had quite a tight relationship back then, everyone thought it would become another NNP. Luckily De Lille is too selfish too give up the ID.

Don't even get me started on Basil Petrus!! The DA kicked him not becuase he was coloured, but becuase he had serious misconduct, which included racial remarks and outrageous behaviour. He didn't adhere to the principles of the DA and embarrassed himself, the DA, and George. It would have been worse if they kept him. It just shows you the kind of people that are in the ID :ohno: The only reason why he won his ward back was becuase he made himself a victim becuase of his colour and obviously his ward (which voted for him for so long) reacted. The DA doesn't look at colour, you just need the right principles to stand and Basil didn't have them, so the ID can keep him.

But the ANC did contest the Macassar ward and failed dismally. The way I see it the by-election vote for the multiparty coalition government parties was 90% compared to about 65% in 2006. The ID are not in bed with the ANC and are part of the multiparty government in Cape Town, but the ANC are intent on opposing the multiparty government which the ANC tried to do when they tried to get ID councillors to cross the floor to the NPP led by Chaaban, who was a vehicle of the ANC's creation that had foundered.

The ward that Basil Petrus stood against the DA was never held by him previously but was held by a disaffected DA councillor who was one of two DA councillors that did not like the way the DA forced Basil out and the fact that Basil Petrus stood up to the DA and the dictatorship within the party that sacked him because he was just a PR councillor.

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:22 PM

Hahahaha Zille an inflated ego? What proof do you have? Is going out helping the community and solving problems an inflated ego? De Lille in my opinion has the biggest ego of them all (in the Zuma league lol). She always butts in to gain votes, never to really help the people. Why is it only De Lille's face is on the ID website and her name on every ID news? Because she's modest? Come on, who ever thinks that is living in a dream world!

Zille's face is all over the new DA website with their silly new logo that was taken from Obama.

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:26 PM

Yup, yup all you little puppies! Both DA & ID are small with a garantuan task awaiting them. The new kid on the block (COPE) is not going to make it any easier on both of them. So, the DA/ID can hardly afford to fight each other- its pathetic petty politics. In my opinion, they are both liberal and are doing an equally good job, which should be praised. Next year's election will be a big test for both the DA & ID.

COPE is more likely to take votes from the DA as the two parties favour neo-liberal economic policies that originated from Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and are policies that resulted in the global economic meltdown.

The ID on the other hand rejects neo-liberalism and the policies of privatisation, outsourcing and deregulation of market economies and favours a strong role for the state to intervene to protect SA from the effects of an economic policy espoused in Western countries that has failed dismally.

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:28 PM

Exactly. The whole website is very similar to Obama's.

The DA are imposters that are frivolous compared to Obama.

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:30 PM

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:32 PM

Nice way of thinking about it ^^^ :) I am just so sick of this racism talk. Racism wont die. People must get over it. Less fuss mad the better. And that is the feeling i get from the DA - "doesn't matter if you are black, white, pink, yellow...all equal, move on, those issues are a decade old. Now for tackinlg crime and unemployment..."

Perhaps I would believe that about the DA but they have too many white faces at the top and they don't stand a chance unless they become more representative of the country. Like the ID, eh.

Die Kapenaar

November 19th, 2008, 10:46 PM

I read an article in Die Burger that former Cape Town mayor and premier Peter Marais has thrown his support to COPE. He believes that COPE and the DA stand the best chance of winning the Western Cape. He spoke of his admiration for Terror Lekota as well as Helen Zille whom he believed would save SA. Marais also condemned the ANC and the weak leadership of Jacob Zuma. He said that the ANC was being taken over by the communist and socialist elements of the SACP and COSATU. While he had a positive view of Helen Zille as CT mayor, he doubted that the DA would retain the support of conservative plaatlanders who tend to frown on the liberalism as espoused by the DA. He said that people think this way in the area where he lives in Durbanville. He therefore stated that COPE unlike the DA has a real chance of gaining wider support in the WC and the rest of SA. However the controversial former politician, who was well known as the Champ and was accused of corruption when he was CT mayor in 2001 and WC premier in 2002, has a reputation of switching sides when he diched the DA and supported the NNP/ANC coalition that brought down premier Gerald Morkel in 2001. It also came as no surprise that Marais discouraged brown people from supporting the ID and Patricia de Lille as the ID are the real contenders for the supports of the brown people in the WC who make up more than 50% of the WC electorate. Peter Marais did go on to start his own party the New Labour Party after he fell out with Kortbroek van Schalkwyk but his party failed to win a single seat in the WC assembly in 2004.

JohanSA

November 19th, 2008, 11:14 PM

A white doesnt make you unfit or unable to garner votes! only narrowminded or racist people will believe that! kapitalism didnt fail the world - legal corruption caused the global meltdown!

herb21

November 20th, 2008, 12:39 AM

Sorry this is way off topic but Die Kapenaar can you please try combine your posts for ease of reading it makes life difficult (at least for me) sorry.

Lydon

November 20th, 2008, 12:39 AM

The DA are imposters that are frivolous compared to Obama.

Oh go take your sensational crap somewhere else please.

briker

November 20th, 2008, 07:43 AM

I can't wait for the day when we will stop resorting to mud slinging, discrediting other parties in order to boost our own. A strong party with values and something solid to the bring to the table, won't resort to such cheap politics. It's a party that intelligent supporters would identify themselves with.

annman

November 20th, 2008, 11:55 AM

DeKapenaar, I have warned you once before; We all know you're an ID supporter... but please don't take this DA-supporter bashing too far.:) We all are free to support the party we want to and calling the actual supporters of parties names will escalate things too much. I do not want the thread to get out of hand. Guys, keep it civil and somewhat unbiased if you can. This thread thusfar has been a success.

Thanks to all of you for keeping things debated, but not "over-heated." :)

Die Kapenaar

November 20th, 2008, 07:58 PM

ID heavyweight joins Cope

20/11/2008 18:23 - (SA)

Cape Town - One of the two deputy presidents of the Independent Democrats, Simon Grindrod, has defected to the newly formed Congress of the People.

Grindrod, who was also Cape Town's mayoral committee member for economic development, made the announcement at a media briefing flanked by Cope leaders in Cape Town on Thursday afternoon.

"I am here because every South African must grasp this opportunity which may only come around once in a lifetime to provide an alternative to the ANC," he said.

"I want to be part of making history: that is what is happening in our country at the moment."

He said the move was a "personal decision", and he did not want it to be portrayed as criticism of ID president Patricia de Lille, for whom he had the greatest respect.

ID principles and policies were "appropriate", but the ID as a party was not yet at a stage where it could replace the ANC.

Asked about Cope's policies, Grindrod said he had discussed them with the party's interim leadership, and they would be clarified in time.

"I can assure you they're not offensive to any moderate-thinking South African who believes in the future of... their country," he said.

Grindrod said if South Africans wanted change they had to break the mould of voting according to colour.

Cope executive member Phillip Dexter, who along with Cope heavyweights Mluleki George and Leonard Ramatlakane flanked Grindrod at the media conference, said Cope was working "flat out" to finalise draft policy documents.

George said draft agriculture and education policies had already been formulated.

Grindrod said he had resigned from his mayoral committee post.

He had earlier on Thursday sent a letter to De Lille informing her of his decision, and though he had tried to meet her in person, it had proved impossible.

De Lille said in a statement that while the party was surprised and disappointed by Grindrod's resignation, the ID had many capable candidates to take over his duties.

She said Grindrod was the "second" of the ID's two deputy presidents, and the first deputy, Agnes Tsamai, would continue serving in that position.

"We wish Mr Grindrod well with his new party," she said.

De Lille formed the ID in 2003 when she walked out on the Pan Africanist Congress.

- SAPA

Dames

November 20th, 2008, 07:59 PM

Oops...Just saw that Simon Grindrod is leaving the ID and is joining COPE....Thats not great news for the ID. I think the DA is gonna take some of their votes too this election.

Die Kapenaar

November 20th, 2008, 08:06 PM

Oops...Just saw that Simon Grindrod is leaving the ID and is joining COPE....Thats not great news for the ID. I think the DA is gonna take some of their votes too this election.

More likely that those votes would go to COPE as Grindrod has. The DA finds itself in the same situation as the ID in defending an opposition base that is defecting in masse to COPE. Good for democracy though.

Lydon

November 20th, 2008, 08:49 PM

Why am I not surprised.

briker

November 21st, 2008, 03:56 AM

It's perhaps the best to do for these small parties. The ID & the DA might bleed to dead in the not-so-ong run.

annman

November 21st, 2008, 08:33 PM

I honestly do not think the opposition parties will bleed. There is much more discontent with the ruling party than there is with the coalition and opposition parties. People in the WC in particular are quite pleased with the progress being made in Cape Town (about 70% perhaps, obviously saying ALL are happy would be ignorant).

It's my belief that the discontent and disillusionment is running through the ANC ranks, much more than in ID, DA, ACDP and FF+ ranks, that's obvious. With an ear to the ground in our farming community, even those farm-workers that were more ANC-leaning in 2004 are expressing deep concern and utter resentment of what has recently happened and are opting for the alternatives now more than ever.

The common comment: "Die ANC gee niks vir die kleurlingvolk om nie, ons is nie swart genoeg vir hulle nie, Zuma is 'n Zoeloe wat net oorlog wil maak! Zille is een helse vrou, daai Particia ook."

The Western Cape, and according to E.Rasool as well, is lost! The ANC cannot take it come 2009.

May the Northern Cape and Gauteng pose a huge problem for the ANC as well, may they taste the bitter wrath of the voting populous in a democratic nation where poor-performance = political loss.

Die Kapenaar

December 1st, 2008, 10:59 PM

Court action after ANC bungles poll registration

November 29, 2008 Edition 1

Lynnette Johns

The ANC is taking the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to court after the party missed the deadline to register 12 candidates for by-elections set for December 10.

In the Western Cape all 27 vacancies have been created by the departure of ANC members for the new Congress of the People party.

The ANC failed to register eight candidates to contest the vacancies in the City of Cape Town and four in the Cederberg district (Citrusdal).

The ANC's provincial executive committee was locked in a meeting last night and no one was available to comment. But the IEC confirmed it had received notice the ANC had referred the matter to court.

On Thursday, the 5pm deadline to register candidates came and went, with 12 of the ANC's 27 candidates failing to provide their deposits or their necessary documents. In several cases candidates were 10 minutes late.

Yesterday, IEC provincial head Courtney Sampson was waiting for the ANC to serve papers. Sampson said the IEC worked within a narrow interpretation of the law.

"This is about non-compliance. In terms of the Electoral Act, candidates need to have filled in the appropriate forms, (and provide) a copy of their ID and a deposit of R500 before 5pm. That did not happen. Some of the documents were here, others arrived after 5pm. This means an automatic exclusion in terms of our narrow interpretation of the law."

However, Sampson said the IEC would abide by the court's decision.

A total of 159 candidates will contest 41 vacant municipal wards across the country, with 29 standing as independents and 130 representing 23 political parties.

These by-elections will be the first time the ANC and Cope battle it out at the polling station and is seen as a litmus test for the looming general election.

Cope's candidates will stand as independents, but will canvass under their party name to avoid complications which may arise from an ANC Pretoria High Court challenge over the name Congress of the People, which the ANC says belongs to it.

The danger is that should the ANC's challenge be upheld, Cope candidates would be representing a party whose name was banned.

Die Kapenaar

December 1st, 2008, 10:59 PM

Party stalls municipal election lists

Published:Nov 30, 2008

The ANC yesterday scored an interim victory ahead of the forthcoming Western Cape municipal by-elections when it forced the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) not to publish the electoral lists.
The ANC took the IEC to court after the party failed to meet the deadline to register 12 candidates for the December 10 by-elections. The deadline for registration was 5pm on Thursday.
The ANC failed to file names for eight of its candidates for wards in the city of Cape Town and a further four in the Cederberg municipality.
The IEC refused to accept the ANC list, saying that it had failed to comply with the law.
The hearing was set for Friday at the Cape High Court, but the IEC pleaded for more time to prepare. The case has now been postponed to an unspecified day this week.
The IEC was forced into agreeing that it would not publish the electoral list before the matter is heard.
Sources in the ANC told the Sunday Times the reason for the delay in registering candidates was that many ANC officials were suspected to be on the verge of defecting to other parties.
“They are busy sifting people and the positions are going to those who have indicated their clear loyalty to the party,” a source said.
A senior provincial leader said that many candidates had refused to stand for the by-elections, citing the overwhelming support for the Congress of the People (Cope) as a reason.
“Potential candidates don’t want to be humiliated by Cope,” he said.
Provincial chairman of the ANC, Mcebisi Skwatsha, this week demanded that premier Lynn Brown and community safety MEC Patrick Mackenzie probe senior officials in his department for using government resources “to canvass support” for Cope. — Ndivhuho Mafela

Die Kapenaar

December 1st, 2008, 11:00 PM

IEC gives ANC three days' grace

Aziz Hartley

December 01 2008 at 08:35AM

After an agreement with the ANC, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has postponed for three days its deadline to issue a certified list of candidates to contest next week's by-elections.

The agreement, made an order of the court on the weekend, resulted from the ANC's legal action against the IEC after the party missed Thursday's 5pm deadline to register 12 of its 27 nominees for by-elections in the Western Cape.

The IEC will file answering papers on Monday, the ANC will file the organisation's reply on Tuesday and the Electoral Court will hear the matter on Wednesday, as well as determine who should shoulder the legal costs, according to Saturday's court order.

Neither IEC provincial head Courtney Sampson nor ANC deputy provincial secretary Max Ozinsky would be drawn on the merits of the case, but Ozinsky said his party was convinced it had met all the criteria to register the 12 candidates.

Sampson said every election had a timetable. Thursday was the deadline by which parties had to submit nominees.

aziz.hartley@inl.co.za

This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Times on December 01, 2008

Die Kapenaar

December 1st, 2008, 11:05 PM

http://www.elections.org.za/Images/IECLogo.gif

Municipal ward by-elections scheduled for 10 December 2008

28 Nov 2008

Municipal ward by-elections will take place on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 in the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and the Western Cape.

The Electoral Commission confirmed that 159 candidates will contest 41 vacant wards of whom 29 are independent candidates while the other 130 represent 23 political parties.

In the Western Cape, 27 by-elections will take place. The following eight (8) will be contested in the City of Cape Town [Cape Town] – CPT.

Ward 33 by:
• Monwabisi Godfrey Mbaliswana, an independent candidate
• Patrick Ngqu of the Democratic Alliance
• Mzuvukile Mpongo of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Constance Lola of the United Democratic Movement;

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 34 by:
• Glenville Bongani Mini, an independent candidate
• Vusumzi David Hlathi of the United Democratic Movement

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 35 by:
• Boyisile Mafilika, an independent candidate
• Lundi Cecil Mashiya of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Ntisemntwini John Nyabaza of the United Independent Front

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 45 by:
• Zimkhitha Theodora Ndayi, an independent candidate
• Yusuf Christian of Al Jama-ah
• Faiza Adams of the Democratic Alliance
• Washiela Baker of the Independent Democrats
• Patricia Minnaar of the National Alliance
• Anthony Ntandazo Gcingca of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Melisizwe Sikweza of the United Democratic Movement

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 52 by:
• Noncedo Margaret Nkqintamo, an independent candidate
• Nomali Patricia Combi of the Democratic Alliance
• Elliot Vuyani Mzamo of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Mzuhlangene Bongoza of the United Democratic Movement
• Buyiswa Mavis Kelembe of the Universal Party

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 75 by:
• Wandile Andie Nkwele, an independent candidate
• Warreldia Daniels of the Al Jama-ah
• Natalie Lorraine Bent of the Democratic Alliance
• Soraya Rigby of the Independent Democrats
• Mveleli Notwabaza of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Mzoli Mqoboli of the United Democratic Movement
• Moira Taylor of the Universal Party

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 87 by:
• Nomamfene Theresa Bottoman, an independent candidate
• Michael Ken Monelo of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Nomonde Deborah Samuel of the United Democratic Movement

The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress and became vacant due to the resignation of the councillor.

Ward 88 by:
• Mzwandile Petterson Matiwane, an independent candidate
• Isaac Lindela Skelem of the United Democratic Movement
• Clint Adrian Neal Dixon of the Universal Party

Die Kapenaar

December 10th, 2008, 12:16 AM

DA on course to win Western Cape - Markinor

Politicsweb.co.za

08 December 2008

ANC support considerably down in the province, but up in KwaZulu Natal

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance led by Helen Zille is on course to win the Western Cape in the 2009 elections. This is according to the results of an opinion poll released by Ipsos-Markinor on Monday.

The poll was conducted in October 2008 shortly before the formal launch of the Congress of the People (COPE.) It found that DA support in the Western Cape stood at 42,8%. The ANC meanwhile received the support of 26% of those polled. 15,2% of respondents said they were undecided as to whom they would support.

This is an inversion of the support patterns that prevailed before the 2004 election. A Markinor poll conducted at the equivalent period before that election - in October/November 2003 - found the ANC had the support of 32% of likely voters in the province, as compared to the 16% of respondents who said they would vote DA. The ANC went on to win 45,25% of the vote in the Western Cape in April 2004, the DA 27,1% and the now defunct New National Party 10,9% (see Table 1).

The ANC's difficulties in the province do not end there. In her report on the poll Ipsos-Markinor's Mari Harris notes that "18% of ANC supporters in the Western Cape indicated that they might vote for an opposition party in the 2009 election. Should some of these intentions convert into action, the ANC could see some of its support going to COPE and other parties in the Western Cape."

The news is better for the ANC in Jacob Zuma's home province of KwaZulu Natal. This is the only other province where the ruling party failed to win an outright majority in 2004. The October 2008 poll found that the ANC enjoyed the support of 64,3% of likely voters, as opposed to 15,2% for the IPF, and 8,7% for the DA.

Only 7,1% of respondents said they were uncertain as to whom to vote for. By contrast in October 2003 Markinor found that the ANC enjoyed the support of 50% of respondents in KZN, as opposed to 20% for the IFP, and 10% for the DA. (See Table 2)

The one word of caution needed here is that opinion polls consistently underestimate support for the IFP. In 2004 the ANC only ended up winning 47% of the popular vote in the province, as opposed to the 36,8% won by the IFP. Harris notes that even in this province "it must be a concern to the ANC that 14% of their supporters could be voting for the opposition in the next election."

In Gauteng the Ipsos-Markinor poll found that the ANC enjoyed the support of 59% of respondents, the same as in October 2003. DA support was also similar at 18,6% (2008) as opposed to the 19% it polled in 2003. However, the percentage of uncertain likely voters was higher this time around at 17,2% in contrast to the 11% who were unable to give an answer in October 2003. (See Table 3)

Harris notes that in Gauteng "16% of ANC supporters reported that they would consider voting for an opposition party in the upcoming election. Early indications are that the ANC will not take this province easily and would either have to work very hard at wooing back their supporters during the election campaign or should start looking for coalition partners to govern the province after the election."

In all the other traditionally ANC supporting provinces - with the exception of Mpumalanga - support for the ruling party is slightly down compared to October/November 2003, with the number of uncertain likely voters slightly up. In all these provinces between 11% and 19% of ANC supporters say they might vote for an opposition party in the 2009 election. (The sample size for the Northern Cape was too small to draw valid conclusions.)

Die Kapenaar

December 10th, 2008, 12:18 AM

ANC loses

Cape Argus

2008-12-09 14:09:07

Lindsay Dentlinger, Metro Writer and Staff Reporter

Electoral Court chairperson Judge K K Mthiyane ruled that to allow the ANC's application against disqualification - after it had failed meet Electoral Act deadlines and requirements - "would open the door to a shambolic free for all".

His ruling was given as tension mounted in the Cape in the run-up to a crucial by-election contest in city eight seats – the biggest number in any of the municipalities contesting the by-elections.

These vacancies have all arisen as a result of former councillors jumping ship from the ANC to Cope.

The city is presently ruled by the DA in coalition with the ID, ACDP, UDM, Universal Party (UP) and FF+.

The ANC's hopes of fighting off the claims of the new party suffered a setback when the Independent Electoral Commission rejected its nominations for the contested wards because it submitted them 10 minutes late, and incorrectly.

Judge Mthiyane ruled: "To allow the kind of tardiness displayed by the applicant's representatives in the submission of nomination forms and the statutorily required attachments would create uncertainty in the electoral process.

"Elections are characterised by deadlines and stipulated time-frames within which certain things must be done. Anything short of that would not only lower the standard of excellence the Commission has set for itself to deliver free and fair elections, but would open the door to a shambolic free for all.

"Such a scenario would make it very difficult for the Commission to conduct an orderly election."

While all eyes will be on the first performance at the polls tomorrow of breakaway movement the Congress of the People (Cope), other small opposition parties appear to be undeterred by the hype, and fancy their chances of muscling in on the Cape Town metro’s 210-member city council.

But smaller opposition parties are not ready to hand anybody seats on a silver platter, and the UDM, PAC, United Independent Front and the National Alliance are all throwing their hats into the ring in some of the wards.

Even lesser-known parties Aljama and the UP are in on the race in some wards.

The UP, which holds one seat in the city council – that of mayoral committee member for health Martin Fienies, is even fielding Fienies’s support officer Clint Dixon to challenge ward 88.

The ANC was consulting with advisers today on the possibility of a fresh application to the Constitutional Court.

In all but one of these wards, the former ANC councillors will again be in the contest for their seats, this time as independent candidates, representing the ideals of Cope.

They have not been able to register as Cope candidates because a legal battle initiated by the ANC is still being waged over Cope’s right to use the name.

The most hotly contested wards in the city will be those of Gugulethu/Manenberg, and Weltevreden/Woodlands, where the highest number of parties will go up against one another, while Cope will hope to take the ANC strongholds of Philippi, Langa and Khayelitsha.

While the ANC’s city caucus emerged unscathed from last year’s floor-crossing, it has, as a result of the eight resignations and expulsions, been left with 73 seats in the council.

But even if the ANC were permitted to contest the by-elections, votes for any of the parties would only have the effect of maintaining the status quo, strengthening the current multiparty government, or giving Cope a foot in the door of the province’s biggest municipality.

Die Kapenaar

December 10th, 2008, 12:20 AM

DA, ID hope to drub ANC in by-elections

Cope's first test at the ballot box

Cape Argus

December 09, 2008 Edition 2

Lindsay Dentlinger

If the ANC loses control tomorrow of the Drakenstein, the province's second-biggest municipality, it will be the DA-ID coalition rather than the breakaway Congress of the People (Cope) that will benefit most.

Although 27 by-elections are scheduled to be held across the province tomorrow, only the outcomes of five by-elections in the Drakenstein (Paarl) and the four by-elections each in the Cederberg (Citrusdal) and Breede Valley (Worcester) have the power to result in a shift of government in these municipalities.

In recent days, the DA and the ID have been campaigning all-out in these areas in the hope of wresting control from the ANC.

Wins for them in these areas could also result in the ANC losing control of the district municipalities of the Cape Winelands and Overberg municipalities respectively.

ANC candidates standing in the Drakenstein and Worcester wards are unaffected by an electoral court ruling expected later today, in which the ANC is challenging its right to contest elections in the city and Cederberg after a candidate registration bungle.

If successful, the ANC plans to contest all 27 by-elections, which have all resulted from ANC resignations or expulsions of councillors.

While pundits are waiting to see how Cope will fare in its first test at the polls, winning seats in any of the municipalities it is contesting will not bring the promise of any significant power. At best, wins could help strengthen existing coalitions or create new ones.

DA provincial leader Theuns Botha has not ruled out the possibility of joining forces with Cope.

"We would definitely consider an agreement. We haven't undertaken not to work with them, but there would be some serious principles we would have to discuss first," he said.

"With the ID, our relationship is already established."

In the Drakenstein municipality, the ANC majority has lost five seats of its 31-member majority in the 61-member council, strengthened by another three seats through its coalition with the National People's Party (NPP).

ID provincial secretary Rodney Lentit said that after ferocious campaigning in Paarl at the weekend, his party was standing behind the DA to take over that municipality. The DA holds 20 seats on that council and the ID has three seats.

Botha, however, pointed out that the DA's main intention of contesting these by-elections was not to take over any new municipalities.

"This is a scientific exercise to see the new political landscape ahead of next year's elections," he said.

DA leader Helen Zille yesterday wooed voters, from the West Coast to the Cederberg, and today was turning her attention to Worcester and Paarl.

In the 12-member Cederberg municipality, no party rules with an outright majority. But the ANC, which has lost four of its six seats, has been ruling in a coalition with the ID, which holds two seats.

The ID has, however, pledged to break that partnership in favour of teaming up with the DA.

The independent candidates standing under the banner of Cope are contesting two of the Cederberg wards, and the little-known National Alliance is contesting one ward.

In the Breede Valley, the ANC needs to win back the four wards to retain the 17-seat majority it has in partnership with the NPP, which has four seats in the 39-member council.

The DA holds the next greatest majority of 13 seats and, with smaller opposition parties, could take control of this council too.

Die Kapenaar

December 10th, 2008, 12:21 AM

ANC to appeal IEC decision

09/12/2008 21:57 - (SA)

Johannesburg - The ANC will appeal Tuesday's Electoral Court decision which excludes the party from taking part in several Western Cape by-elections.

"The ANC is concerned that voters in the Cape Metro are being denied their right to vote for a candidate of their choice based on a technical problem within the IEC," said party spokesperson Jessie Duarte.

"The ANC has decided to appeal the decision of the Electoral Court."

The Electoral Court in Bloemfontein dismissed an application by the ANC in the Western Cape to contest Wednesday's by-elections in the City of Cape Town and the Cederberg Municipality.

The party took the Independent Electoral Commission to court after 12 of its candidates were excluded from standing in the by-elections. The ANC missed the deadline to register its candidates and to pay their deposits to the Electoral Commission.

"The ANC candidates were on time at the IEC provincial office and had taken cash with them as well as a cheque to register 12 candidates," said Duarte in a statement after the court ruling.

The Electoral Court held that on the ANC's own version, section 17 of the Municipal Electoral Act and the timetable set by the Electoral Commission, were not complied with.

Electoral Court chairperson and Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Kenneth Mthiyane said elections were characterised by deadlines and stipulated time frames within which certain things must be done.

"Anything short of that would not only lower the standard of the excellence the Electoral Commission has set for itself to deliver free and fair elections, but would open the door to a shambolic free-for-all," the judgment read.

Duarte said the ANC would vigorously contest all other by-elections in the Western Cape.

A total of 27 by-elections had been set for Wednesday in the Western Cape. There would be eight in the Cape Town metro, six in the West Coast municipality, 10 in Winelands and three in Overberg.

- SAPA

Die Kapenaar

December 10th, 2008, 12:22 AM

Cope welcomes ANC exclusion

09/12/2008 22:51 - (SA)

Johannesburg - The Congress of the People welcomed Tuesday's ruling by the Electoral Court preventing the ANC from taking part in several Western Cape by-elections.

The party said it was pleased with the "admonition of the ANC" by Electoral Court chairperson and Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Kenneth Mthiyane.

Mthiyane said elections were characterised by deadlines and stipulated time frames within which certain things must be done.

"Anything short of that would not only lower the standard of the excellence the Electoral Commission has set for itself to deliver free and fair elections, but would open the door to a shambolic free-for-all," the judgment read.

Cope said it applauding the IEC's stance in maintaining high standards and integrity.

"All parties must adhere to these standards.

"As Cope we will always endeavour to meet the standards set by the IEC for anything contrary would impact on the constitutional principle of free and fair elections and devalue the image of our constitutional democracy."

On Tuesday, the ANC said it would appeal the court decision.

"The ANC is concerned that voters in the Cape Metro are being denied their right to vote for a candidate of their choice based on a technical problem within the IEC," said party spokesperson Jessie Duarte.

"The ANC has decided to appeal the decision of the Electoral Court."

The court ruling stipulated that 12 ANC candidates were excluded from standing in the by-elections in the City of Cape Town and the Cederberg Municipality.

The court said the ANC missed the deadline to register its candidates and to pay their deposits to the Electoral Commission but the ANC said all its candidates were on time at the IEC provincial office, with cash and cheques for registration fees.

A total of 27 by-elections had been set for Wednesday in the Western Cape. There would be eight in the Cape Town metro, six in the West Coast municipality, 10 in the Winelands and three in the Overberg.

- SAPA

briker

December 11th, 2008, 07:28 AM

Cope scores in by-election
11/12/2008 08:19 - (SA)

Cape Town - A breakaway faction of the ruling African National Congress won 10 of 27 contested municipal by-elections in the Western Cape, electoral officials said on Thursday.

The by-elections were widely seen as an important gauge of support for the Congress of the People (Cope), formed after senior leaders defected from the ANC in protest at the ousting of former president Thabo Mbeki.

Cope candidates stood as independents in Wednesday's by-elections because the grouping has not yet officially registered as a political party. It plans to launch formally on December 16.

"The ANC won 3 seats, the (Cope) independents 10, Democratic Alliance 9 and the Independent Democrats 5 of the 27 seats contested in the Western Cape," said regional electoral officer Courtney Sampson.

The ANC did not contest 12 of the 27 seats in the Western Cape. Across the country, a total of 41 by-elections were contested and results were due from other areas.

ANC split

The ANC has ruled Africa's biggest economy with a huge majority since the end of apartheid in 1994, but the party's dominance is being challenged by the split and a corruption case hanging over its leader, Jacob Zuma.

He has dismissed the breakaway faction as irrelevant, but ANC officials are worried about more defections and have gone to court to prevent the new grouping from using the name Congress of the People.

Cope has vowed to contest a national parliamentary election due in 2009.

Foreign investors are closely watching voting patterns amid fears the ANC will tilt to the left under Zuma.

Since 1994, the ANC has been unable to win an outright majority in the Western Cape where the official opposition Democratic Alliance runs the city of Cape Town.

mike2005

December 11th, 2008, 11:20 AM

Lets not forget that in the 15wards the ANC did contest it only managed to win 3 seats. Considering it held all 15 of those seats at the last election the result is dire for the ANC. I know they will try to distract from that by talking about the seats they couldnt contest but that should not distract usfrom the fact that they were trounced in the seats they did contest.

Its just the shame that the rest of the country is too moronic to grasp how bad the ANC is and yet again we will see in the next election the other provinces going ANC and the Western Cape being the only beacon of hope with a halfway decent government.

Pule

December 11th, 2008, 12:35 PM

^^ South Africans are not stupid and one wants our country to go Zimbabwe's way. Americans voted Bush on 2 occasion and it wouldn't be suprising if people vote for Zuma, some see Zuma as the leader who can take them to the South Africa they want and some of us differ in that respect and so its those people's freedom of choice and we need to accept that the like the shower man.

After all out of all people I have spoken to, educated and non, 90% are sick and tired of the ANC so even if COPE doesn't win the elections, the ANC will never get 2/3 majority and they will have serious competition. I hope COPE, UDM, DA, ID and other parties can form coalation to remove the ANC from thye power they have in their hands.

annman

December 13th, 2008, 05:35 PM

^^ Pule, all that is needed nationally is an ANC loss of 18%, which is possible, in that case they cannot form a government. Last election they got about 67% nationally, so putting them at 49% in 2009 will mean the opposition parties WILL coalesce, unseating the ANC from power. This scenario is VERY likely. The Western Cape alone will be able to rob the ANC of 4% of their 2/3rds majority nationally.

annman

December 14th, 2008, 02:01 PM

There is a lot of resentment and disgust in our province towards the ruling party. The "party" is certainly over in SA's southernmost province! :lol:

ANC 'boycott call' immature - readers

December 11 2008 at 02:52PM

Several by-elections were held in the Greater Cape Region as a result of ANC councillors defecting to the new political party named COPE.

IOL has asked its readers what they think of the ANC's call for by-elections in the Cape to be boycotted.

Of the 385 readers who responded to the poll, 83 percent (320 votes) voted 'Is immature' , while 10 percent (40 votes) said 'Who Cares?', and 6 percent (25 votes) said 'Is their democratic right'.

Comments from readers:

James: The ANC are behaving like spoilt little children that didn't get their way. They could have contested the by-election if they had only had their paperwork ready in time like everybody else. Due to their arrogance they felt they could hand in their papers when they felt like it, because they are the ruling party and rules don't apply to them. Well, surprise, surprise!

Proudly South African for 2010:
I thought the message was clear. The ANC might be the ruling party....for now....but they are no longer calling the shots. The people of SA can see right through them....You can't miss; it is as visible as the arms deal scandal.

Steve: I was disgusted in the Zimbabwesque style tactics and behavior displayed by ANC officials yesterday at Polling stations in the Western Cape. Is this a sign of things to come? I sincerely hope not. I hope the instigators of this intimidation and violence are brought to book although I'm not holding my breath.

Richard: I totally agree with all the comments so far. At least people are now finally starting to see through the fog of deception that the ANC has been sowing. When they cant get their own way, its smash, destroy, kill, toyi toyi, blame someone else etc etc

TDK: Since the establishment of the ANC, they had ALL the support and empathy from the world. Now that they are opposed in a democratic way, they behave like a little childr child, kicking and tantruming on the floor. I wish that the majority of the people can see now what it's all about, POWER TO THE FAT CATS and not power to the people. The present government don't care about the poor.

Nick: The ANC is behaving like a spoilt kid and is a sure sign that finally people are seeing them for what they have become - an organisation full of corruption, mistrust, back stabbing and an inability to govern the country properly. All the old school ANC leaders are moving on and the new breed that had nothing to do with the so called struggle are money hungry greedy politians who couldn;t care less about the masses that voted for the ANC to begin with. Bye bye ANC, you days of running everything that worked in SA into the ground are numbered, and good riddance!

Anonymous: The ANC should accept that they are responsible for their own down fall, the way they are behaving now is just a joke. There is no governance in that party and everyone is allowed to do as they please. The ANC leader are just crocks, trying to get rich soon.

Brett: RIP ANC government of SA - Born 1994, Died 2009

Julian: Who cares? The ANC lost the plot, and the province. More to follow. They are now showing their true colours, and we can see them for what they really are... lazy, self-righteous fools who think they own SA. Watch how many provinces dump them next year. Roll on the 2009 GE!!!!

Henk: I want to be a fly on the wall in Luthuli's palace. Gwedie must be hopping and bobbing this morning.

John: Now this is our ruling party. The party responsible for ensuring RSA is a safe, secure and viable country in which to live. This is the same party who throw their toys out of the cot if they cannot get their own way. Boycott elections because the courts ruled against us.

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 12:17 AM

COPE to annihilate ANC?

December 12 2008 at 01:13PM

Results from municipal ward by-elections around the country signal the start of the ruling ANC's "implosion", Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday.

"After this week's by-elections, the worn-out smear - that the DA is a 'white' party - loses all credence," she said in her party's weekly newsletter, published on the DA's SA Today website.

In the Western Cape, the DA had won nine out of 18 wards previously held by the African National Congress.

"Altogether, the ANC lost 25 out of 27 wards which it had previously controlled in the province," she said.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission, of the 41 municipal wards contested in five provinces on Thursday, the ANC and the DA both won 11, a further 10 went to independent candidates, and the Independent Democrats and Inkatha Freedom party won five and four respectively.

"Voter turnout varied between 8,45 percent and 59,26 percent, with an average of 26,42 percent," the IEC said.

Zille said her party had recorded "a significant increase" in support among black voters in areas such as Kosovo and Langa in Cape Town, and among coloured voters in Mitchell's Plain.

"The by-election results show that we are on track to win the Western Cape in 2009; that we are gaining voters who have not historically supported us, but who share our values; and that we are consolidating the support of our traditional voters."

She said coalition-driven realignments would eventually lead to the ANC losing power at all levels of government.

"There are encouraging signs (reinforced by the by-elections) that we will win the Western Cape and possibly take power from the ANC in some other provinces after the 2009 election."

The by-elections results were "the start of the ANC's implosion and the DA's consolidation as a party of government, with growing support from South Africans of all races", Zille said.

- Sapa

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 12:19 AM

http://vne-resource.iol.co.za/6/images/breakingnews/site_header_1.jpg

ANC bruised at polls as DA and Cope make strong showing

December 11, 2008 Edition 2

Lindsay Dentlinger

The ANC in the Western Cape has lost 24 of the 27 wards it had control over across the province.

Early morning results showed that the ANC had only won two wards in yesterday's by-elections held across the province.

The IEC later confirmed the ANC had, in addition to a ward in the Breede River, won two wards in the Breede Valley and not one as indicated earlier.

But the DA emerged as the biggest winner yesterday winning nine wards and clinching control of the province's second biggest municipality, the Drakenstein (Paarl), with the help of the ID.

The Congress of the People (Cope) did not manage the clean sweep it was hoping for, but still managed to win 10 wards - six of them in Cape Town.

The ID won five wards out of the 19 it contested - two in Drakenstein and one each in Theewaterskloof, Matzikama and the Cederberg.

But while opposition parties are hailing their victories as a sign of things to change in the 2009 elections, only 14% of eligible voters in Cape Town went to the polls, and the successes of opposition parties measured on a little more than a thousand votes in most wards.

Of the 114 654 voters registered in the eight wards in the city, only 16 038 turned out to vote, and of these ballots, 527 were spoilt.

During the 2006 local government elections, a 45.3% average in voter turnout was recorded in the metro wards challenged again yesterday.

In the Cederberg, where the ANC were out of the running, only 38.4% of eligible voters went to the polls yesterday and nearly 60% (1945 voters) for the one ward in the Berg River.

But for the rest of the municipal wards, voter turnout was a little more than 40%.

Nevertheless, the DA will now take control of the Cederberg Municipality (Citrusdal) and, together with the ID, also the Overberg District Municipality.

The ANC's failure to register its candidates in time for the four by-elections in the Cederberg and eight in the City of Cape Town, contributed to the drubbing it suffered at the hands of the opposition parties.

All 27 by-elections in the province were caused by the resignation or expulsion of former ward councillors from the ANC.

Having been unaffected by floor-crossing last year, the ANC's city caucus has now been reduced to only 73 seats in the city's 210 member council.

None of the ANC's provincial leaders could be reached for comment this morning.

DA leader Helen Zille said today that she was "thrilled" by the results and that the DA had not lost any votes to Cope.

In the city, the DA won the wards of Gugulethu/Manenberg (ward 45) and Weltevreden Valley and Woodlands (ward 75).

"Voters are consolidating around the DA. The results show that we are on track to win the Western Cape next year," Zille said.

She said the results showed that Cope had split the ANC vote and was not eating into the DA's support base.

Cope's provincial co-ordinator Leonard Ramatlakane said this morning that the victories were a demonstration that people want change.

"We are happy to see that throughout the 27 areas in the Western Cape, we have established a solid base and presence ahead of the elections next year."

In the city, former ANC ward councillors who contested as independent candidates for the Cope party won ward 35 (Mandalay and Lower Crossroads) with 75.6% of the vote, ward 52 (Langa) by 46.6%, ward 87 (Khayelitsha) with 82.2%, ward 88 (Woodlands) with 74.7%, ward 33 (Philippi West/Samora Machel/Kosovo) with 63% and ward 34 (Philippi) with 83.2%.

The DA won ward 75, which covers parts of Mitchells Plain, with 68.8%, traditionally an ID stronghold. The ID only secured 4% of the vote.

The DA also managed gains in Manenberg, winning 51.7% of the vote compared to the ID's 15.7%.

The ID's provincial chairman, Sakkie Jenner, said having won five wards, the ID had increased its support base.

Lydon

December 16th, 2008, 01:00 AM

The dawn of a new era.

annman

December 16th, 2008, 10:02 AM

:lol: :lol: :lol: Don't we always see... Democratisation always occurs from the West!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 06:56 PM

:lol: :lol: :lol: Don't we always see... Democratisation always occurs from the West!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

The West brought us the global financial crisis and an economic system that is as much as failure as was Soviet communist central planning. In fact the two systems are not far off as they exploit the average person while the people at the top get rich. The West is no role models of democracy. Look at Iraq and Zimbabwe where Western intervention in the veiled guise of liberal democracy destroyed both countries.

BEE = Reganomics/Thatcherism = Communism

We should look East for solutions to our problems.

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 07:25 PM

There is a lot of resentment and disgust in our province towards the ruling party. The "party" is certainly over in SA's southernmost province! :lol:

ANC 'boycott call' immature - readers

December 11 2008 at 02:52PM

Several by-elections were held in the Greater Cape Region as a result of ANC councillors defecting to the new political party named COPE.

IOL has asked its readers what they think of the ANC's call for by-elections in the Cape to be boycotted.

Sorry, I have to agree that a person's right to vote far outweigh's the exclusion of one party based on a trivial technicality. The Cape metro ward results were a farce and reminded me of the days when the ANC was banned in the 1980's where there were sham elections held in coloured areas under apartheid where the old Labour Party won everytime because only 25% of the coloured electorate voted for these sham assemblies that were set up as toy telephones to represent them. It is in this historical context of exclusion that the ANC boycotted the by-elections and encouraged it's supporters to do the same while the ID on the other hand did not waste its energy in these wards as this was seen as much a ploy by Cope loyalists within the Western Cape IEC including regional chairperson Courtney Sampson to tilt the outcome in favour of Cope and the DA.

Similarly, the default and lopsided election of Cope independents and the DA in the eight Cape Town wards won't be accepted by the people living in those areas as the poll result lacks credibility. The IEC should have postponed the 12 byelections until the new year in order to sort out the logistical hitches which were largely caused by capacity restraints within the IEC's organisation. It was also unrealistic given personnel shortages and lack of planning that the IEC could even carry out 41 byelections on one day. so to have delayed the 12 byelections in Cape Town and Cederberg would have been the most plausible solution to these problems relating to the registration of ANC ward candidates.

It is based on the fact that only 10% of registered voters participated in the Cape Town wards (where 4-5% of the ballots were spoilt in protest), and the fact that most of the electorate was disenfranchised that the ANC has gone to the Constitutional Court. Given that the right to vote is a fundamental right, the ANC will no doubt get the results declared null and void as the Constitutional Court would overrule the IEC Electoral Court. So the people in the Cape Town wards will get another chance in the new year. In the meantime the wards will remain vacant until the court action. Likewise the Cederberg municipality will not be able to swear in representatives of a disputed poll there where the ANC was excluded.

But unlike Cape Town where the ANC will trounce Cope as it did in Breede Valley & Breede River wards which were predominantly black, in Cederberg municipality a rerun would result in the DA winning outright as it did in Theewaterskloof municipality where the ANC was trounced as these are predominantly coloured wards. The only difference is that instead of the DA getting 50% of the vote in Cederberg, it would more likely get about 33% but more than the other parties including the ANC.

Seven out of eight of the Cape Town wards are predominately black while the eighth, Ward 75 (Mitchells Plain/Gugulethu) is evenly split between blacks and coloureds. The DA stands a much better chance in a rerun of the byelection there against the ANC as it won almost 70% of the vote which had a 20% turnout in the ward that almost exclusively came from the Mitchells Plain part of the ward.

So in a rerun scenario, both the DA and ANC could win the ward with 40% of the vote within a margin of maybe 50 votes with the ID and Cope each getting less than 10%. In a rerun in the other seven wards, the ANC would likely win between 60% and 80% of the vote with Cope getting 20% while the DA would get about 25% in Ward 45 (Manenberg/Philippi) with the ANC getting about 60% in that ward.

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 07:46 PM

The reason why Cape Town mayor Helen Zille wants the by-election results accepted apart from the fact that the DA won by default in two wards due to the low turnout caused by the ANC poll boycott, is quite clear. The DA along with the multi-party forum parties (excluding the ID) would have an outright majority of 106 seats in the 210 seat council (96 DA + 10 MPF). In addition the 6 Cope independents could be brought into the coalition as Helen Zille would prefer them over the ID which currently has 17 seats due to Helen's dislike of Patricia de Lille and her irritation at the ID's independent stance within the coalition. Thus the 6 Cope independent councillors would be seen by Zille and the DA as much more pliable and easier to manipulate. Cope would in essence play a similar role as the ACDP in becoming the mayor's yes-men on her mayoral committee. In such a situation the DA-led coalition would still have a majority of 7 seats although that would be much less than the 18 seat advantage that the DA currently enjoys with the support of the ID.

Lydon

December 16th, 2008, 08:52 PM

The ANC did not comply with IEC regulations. It's simple. They can cry and scream all they want but if they refuse to comply, their right to candidacy is refused too.

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 09:11 PM

The ANC did not comply with IEC regulations. It's simple. They can cry and scream all they want but if they refuse to comply, their right to candidacy is refused too.

But what about the fact that 90% of the people in the black wards did not vote because the ballot still was not complete because of the ANC's exclusion. Sure the ANC was at fault for waiting until the last minute but the IEC is not perfect either and the Constitutional Court will more likely than not to consider the rights of the voters to make a choice rather than some abstract technicality that resulted in the fluke whereby the ANC could not contest the elections. Let me put it to you like this. If this had been the DA that was excluded you would be screaming mad while the newspapers in Cape Town and London would be crying foul at what would be decried as a sinister ANC plot.

As far as the ConCourt is concerned a case like this did happen in 2006 when the ACDP failed to submit candidates on time for the municipal elections in the Cape Town metro. Both the IEC and it's electoral court ruled that the ACDP's party list could not participate because of the deadlines that they did not meet. The ACDP rightfully complained in the media which alleged that the outgoing ANC city administration could have been behind the administrative bungling. The ConCourt concurred on the matter and ruled in favour of the ACDP's participation in the Cape metro municipal election. You would in hindsight agree that they participate since after all they head the multiparty forum that is a partner in the DA-led coalition in Cape Town. Hence their exclusion could have had a major impact on the election outcome and maybe the ANC would still be in power in Cape Town today if the ConCourt did not overrule the IEC on an administrative technicality that should not have a bearing on the election. See my point.

Lydon

December 16th, 2008, 09:33 PM

But what about the fact that 90% of the people in the black wards did not vote because the ballot still was not complete because of the ANC's exclusion. Sure the ANC was at fault for waiting until the last minute but the IEC is not perfect either and the Constitutional Court will more likely than not to consider the rights of the voters to make a choice rather than some abstract technicality that resulted in the fluke whereby the ANC could not contest the elections. Let me put it to you like this. If this had been the DA that was excluded you would be screaming mad while the newspapers in Cape Town and London would be crying foul at what would be decried as a sinister ANC plot.

As far as the ConCourt is concerned a case like this did happen in 2006 when the ACDP failed to submit candidates on time for the municipal elections in the Cape Town metro. Both the IEC and it's electoral court ruled that the ACDP's party list could not participate because of the deadlines that they did not meet. The ACDP rightfully complained in the media which alleged that the outgoing ANC city administration could have been behind the administrative bungling. The ConCourt concurred on the matter and ruled in favour of the ACDP's participation in the Cape metro municipal election. You would in hindsight agree that they participate since after all they head the multiparty forum that is a partner in the DA-led coalition in Cape Town. Hence their exclusion could have had a major impact on the election outcome and maybe the ANC would still be in power in Cape Town today if the ConCourt did not overrule the IEC on an administrative technicality that should not have a bearing on the election. See my point.

So in essence you support political parties thinking they're above the rules/law?

Die Kapenaar

December 16th, 2008, 09:41 PM

So in essence you support political parties thinking they're above the rules/law?

No but rules/laws are not perfect and there should be flexibility when the institutions fail. SA is a new democracy so it is likely that rules/laws will change to take into account unforseen situations like this one I mentioned. Sure you and me may not like the fact that the party in this case of disputed by-elections happens to be the ANC but the ANC does have rights too just like the ACDP. See!

Lydon

December 17th, 2008, 10:40 AM

I never said the ACDP should have been let off. Quite the opposite in fact. This was not an unforseen situation...this was the ANC taking their sweet time submitting their applications as they take their sweet time doing everything else. They decided to hand it in on the last minute and in fact failed in the process, now we're supposed to feel sorry for them?

Dames

December 17th, 2008, 12:31 PM

The ACDP case was a bit different...the problem there wasn't the submission of candidates but payment problems and a lack of communication between the IEC and the ACDP. The ACDP was assured by the IEC that their payment was recieved but this was found not to be the case afterwards. The ANC in this scenario just didn't bother with submitting their candidates' names.

annman

December 17th, 2008, 07:38 PM

The West brought us the global financial crisis and an economic system that is as much as failure as was Soviet communist central planning. In fact the two systems are not far off as they exploit the average person while the people at the top get rich. The West is no role models of democracy. Look at Iraq and Zimbabwe where Western intervention in the veiled guise of liberal democracy destroyed both countries.

BEE = Reganomics/Thatcherism = Communism

We should look East for solutions to our problems.

You silly over-serious Noo-Noo!!! I was being humourous, Western Cape... democracy from the "West," ANC being ousted in polls here... get it?!? :)

PS. DeKapenaar... I think you're fighting a loosing battle arguing the IEC should postpone elections. It is the responsibility in a democracy for the leadership to act in a responsible manner... this means the ANC must comply with the same rules that apply to all... if a party cannot comply with simple IEC regulations in a timely manner, then they can surely not be mature enough to actually lead! IEC rules are for everyone and must be applied without fear or favour. Doesn't matter if 90% of people did not vote... their party let them down and if the party had the interests of their constituents at heart and were responsible enough to govern, they would be responsible enough to follow the protocol. That's my say and I unfortunately will not be convinced otherwise!

Die Kapenaar

December 17th, 2008, 08:26 PM

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Boesak for Western Cape premier?

December 17 2008 at 12:16PM

By Gaye Davis and Andisiwe Makinana

Feisty cleric Dr Allan Boesak, who has joined the Congress of the People (COPE) after being at the centre of a tug-of-war between the ruling ANC and the new party, is already being tipped as COPE's Western Cape premier candidate.

The struggle icon joined COPE on Tuesday after being actively wooed by both the breakaway party and the ANC.

After spurning efforts by the ANC to bring him on board, he will now be using his considerable oratorical skills to campaign for COPE in next year's elections.

Boesak was given a hero's welcome by 4 000 COPE delegates at the party's inaugural congress in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

In a rousing speech that had the crowd on its feet chanting "Boesak!", he told them he had not asked what position he would get but whether he could serve.

Boesak later confirmed to the Cape Argus that he'd been the centre of a tug-of-war between the ANC and COPE, with each courting him in a bid to secure his services - and political capital - for next year's national and provincial elections.

ANC sources told the Cape Argus that two weeks ago the ANC had asked Boesak to run as their premier candidate in the Western Cape - as province party strategists are concerned the ANC may lose.

Sources close to the ANC headquarters, Luthuli House, said Boesak had been called to the national working committee's meeting, where for three hours the NWC tried to woo him to run as their Western Cape premier candidate.

On Tuesday Boesak told the Cape Argus that he had been in talks with the ANC in the province as well as with ANC president Jacob Zuma, who invited him to a meeting with the ANC's "top six".

At the same time, he was the focus of efforts by COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota who approached him as early as September - well ahead of Lekota's breakaway when he served the ANC with "divorce papers" in October.

"I told the ANC that I can't with conviction tell people to vote for the ANC," Boesak told the Cape Argus on Tuesday.

However, he said he had told the ANC leadership he was willing to serve South Africa in an ambassadorial role.

An ANC National Executive Committee source told the Cape Argus on Tuesday that Boesak had wanted to represent the country at the UN.

Boesak told the Cape Argus that he had bluntly told the ANC he would not campaign for the party in the Western Cape.

"I told them I can't, in six months, try and rectify what has gone wrong over so many years."

That the ANC approached Boesak at all is surprising, given that he launched a stinging attack on the party in July, accusing it of entrenching racial divisions rather than unity.

Boesak and his wife Elna signed as members of COPE on Tuesday morning after what Boesak said were "intense discussions" with Lekota and COPE Deputy President Mbhazima Shilowa on Monday night and early on Tuesday morning.

COPE's leadership positions had meanwhile already been decided after a marathon and often strained meeting that stretched into the early hours of yesterday morning - which meant there was no leadership position for Boesak.

There was also strong sentiment within COPE that positions should not be carved out for individuals - so Boesak now joins the party as one of its 30 additional executive members.

Lekota told journalists on Tuesday that Boesak's position was "under discussion" and that an announcement would "be made later".

However, the Cape Argus has been reliably informed that the party's top 30 members will not necessarily also be the first 30 names on the lists it will be compiling of election candidates - so the way is open for Boesak to emerge as its lead candidate in the Western Cape, or even higher up.

Boesak said while COPE could not promise him any position his talks with Lekota and Shilowa had persuaded him that the party would provide a non-racial, social-democratic alternative - something he has been pushing for.

"One can't reinvent the United Democratic Front," Boesak said.

"Circumstances have changed. But you can try to get the same enthusiasm and energy, the genuine belief that these things are valuable and can be attained."

He said he realised this was a decision that would determine the rest of his life, as he was now 62.

Boesak had some delegates in tears day when he told them it was not too late "to build a home for all".

"We will not be dictated to by hopelessness," he said.

"We will not be dictated to by fear."

Boesak was pitched into the political wilderness after his conviction on fraud and theft charges over donor funds amounting to R247 000.

He served his time during 2000 and painstakingly put back his career within the church.

Former president Thabo Mbeki gave him a presidential pardon in January 2005 which expunged his criminal record.

This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Argus on December 17, 2008

Die Kapenaar

December 17th, 2008, 10:47 PM

ANC intensifies efforts in WC province

Eyewitness News

Ayanda Allie-Paine | 25 Minutes Ago

The African National Congress National Executive Committee has announced that it intends to increase political efforts the Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee.

The ANC was prevented from participating in the province’s by-elections as it failed to register its candidates on time.

The ruling party’s NEC began a two-day meeting on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues and challenges in the run up to the 2009 poll including the by-elections which was held earlier this month.

The NEC decided to withdraw its application in the Constitutional Court against the Independent Electoral Commission for its Western Cape by-elections process.

The party’s Brian Sokutu said they were taking responsibility and were now focusing on next year’s polls.

He said, “The ANC NEC has resolved to beef up its elections machinery in the Western Cape by deploying its cadres from national level to the province to ensure ANC victory in the polls, to rebuild and consolidate its support base in the province. The team, soon to be announced, will take full responsibility politically for the Western Cape.”

briker

December 18th, 2008, 12:43 AM

Good on them. Hope it was a lesson in arrogance management. Still, the ANC must be exterminated in the Western Cape.

annman

December 18th, 2008, 09:03 AM

^^ That's decent news. But with even Boesak now in the COPE boat, the ANC will loose even more ground in the WC, as Boesak has much much support in this province.

Die Kapenaar

December 19th, 2008, 12:12 AM

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ANC Taking No Chances in Cape

Hajra Omarjee

18 December 2008

Johannesburg — THE African National Congress (ANC) said last night it recognised Western Cape as a challenge in the run-up to next year's elections, in a frank assessment of the party's failure to prevail in by-elections in the province last week.

The ANC said it would deploy "cadres from national level to rebuild and consolidate our support base in the province".

The party's poor performance in the by-elections and a recent opinion survey show the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) gaining the upperhand in Western Cape, while the new Congress of the People (COPE) also appears to enjoy significant support.

In a statement last night after a two-day meeting, the ANC's national working committee blamed low voter turnout for the party's poor by-election showing, which it said "was caused by our inability to register candidates".

The ANC's renewed focus on the province coincides with a return to the political stage of anti-apartheid struggle veteran Allan Boesak, who yesterday defended his move to COPE, and indicated he would play a major role in trying to win Western Cape for the new party.

Boesak said he would take his "vast experience" to COPE and begin work "immediately" to establish COPE's election machinery in Western Cape.

The controversial former United Democratic Front activist, who spent time in jail for fraud, made a surprise appearance at COPE's inaugural conference in Bloemfontein this week.

Boesak said he made the decision to join COPE after a "series of long discussions".

"I had been adamant that I would not return to politics. I raised a number of concerns and questions (with COPE). About affirmative action ... the Freedom Charter ... the gap between the rich and the poor ... I could only realise my vision in COPE," Boesak said.

On his discussions with the African National Congress (ANC), Boesak said he had made it "clear" that he would not "serve in any ANC structure" but that he would be happy to serve his country.

It is widely believed that he will be the party's candidate for premier in Western Cape for next year's election.

ANC insiders yesterday described Boesak as an "opportunist" after discussions over his rejoining the ruling party "collapsed" earlier this month.

" In his discussions with us, he would accept no less than the position of ambassador to the United Nations," a Luthuli House insider said.

After the discussions with Boesak, ANC president Jacob Zuma told Business Day they were part of an ANC attempt to "reconnect" with the mass democratic movement and activists once active in the party.

"Part of this group are people like comrade Allan Boesak, who we have not given a chance," Zuma said then.

Boesak and others had an advantage as the coloured community was "their base".

Meanwhile, political opponents yesterday shrugged off the "Boesak factor" as a threat in Western Cape.

"Taking people who no longer have a big following but still have a big ego, is more trouble in the long run than a press conference is actually worth," was how one DA strategist summed up Boesak's return to politics.

Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille said she "never thought" she would see the day when Boesak and controversial former Western Cape premier Peter Marais would work together. The latter also publicly joined COPE earlier this month.

"People must not underestimate the intelligence and memory of voters. History always has a way of catching up with one," De Lille said.

In response, Boesak said: "Ask Patricia if she sees me in the same party as (ANC Youth League head) Julius Malema."

Political analyst Steven Friedman said he saw Boesak's joining COPE as a "celebrity endorsement".

"Even before Boesak had legal troubles, there was not significant support for him in Western Cape. While he absolutely believes that he is still popular, there is no evidence that he is still popular.

Die Kapenaar

December 19th, 2008, 12:17 AM

ANC bigwigs to shore Cape support

Cape Argus

December 18 2008 at 01:36PM

By Xolani Mbanjwa and Murray Williams

The battered Western Cape ANC is to receive urgent help from the party's national leadership, as it reels from recent election defeats and administrative blunders.

As the Congress of the People (COPE) gains momentum after its inaugural by-election victories last week, the ruling party has parachuted its national leaders to take over and micro-manage the Western Cape's dysfunctional provincial structure ahead of next year's elections.

The drastic action comes after the ANC lost several by-elections in the Western Cape last week as a result of electoral bungling by its provincial executive committee.

"Against this background, the ANC NEC has resolved to beef up its elections machinery in the Western Cape by deploying its cadres from national level to the province to ensure ANC victory in the polls," the ANC said last night.

"We have done so to rebuild and consolidate our support base in the province. The team - soon to be announced - will take full political responsibility for the Western Cape.

"The ANC is committed to reinforce unity and cohesion in the province by restructuring the organisation's provincial executive committee."

The ANC has also decided to withdraw its Constitutional Court challenge against the IEC after it lost the Electoral Court case. The organisation resolved instead to concentrate on its "elections machinery".

The ruling party's panicky intervention in the Western Cape comes as fiery cleric Dr Allan Boesak, who joined COPE this week, was expected to consolidate electoral support for the breakaway party as its premier candidate next year.

ANC sources told the Cape Argus on Thursday that the decision to effectively fire former premier Ebrahim Rasool had not necessarily stopped the internecine fighting which had plagued the provincial ANC for years.

This had ended to some degree after the ANC's provincial conference, which was boycotted by many members of the city's Dullah Omar region. And the potential for further internal conflict had been also reduced by the defection of blocks of voters to COPE.

The battles had, however, left the Western Cape ANC with huge administrative challenges.

Sources said the group to be sent to the province would comprise "eminent" ANC leaders who no longer had personal ambition, but who were custodians of ANC tradition.

The ANC's provincial executive was under strict instruction to do as this group told, one source said.

Asked if provincial ANC chairperson Mcebisi Skwatsha had been sanctioned for the party's failure to register for the recent by-elections, national ANC spokesperson Carl Niehaus said he had not. Emphasis had instead been put on what to do to strengthen the party.

Other sources said the NEC still had faith in Skwatsha's leadership, but that there had been wide-spread dismay at the by-election fiasco which had happened on his watch.

This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Argus on December 18, 2008

Die Kapenaar

December 19th, 2008, 12:18 AM

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ANC to strengthen Cape provincial leaders

Posted on: 2008-12-18 08:37:39

Following a decisive National Executive Council (NEC) of the ANC on Wednesday, the party has decided to put together a strong team of national leaders to assist the troubled provincial leadership in the Western Cape who will help with organizational issues. According to ANC national spokesperson, Jessie Duarte, speaking to VOC on Thursday morning, this team will assist in setting up a “formidable campaign” to win back voters, while helping the provincial leadership to rebuild its crumbling branches, especially the Dullah Omar region which had huge criticism against the provincial leadership.

The announcement comes as Cape media speculated that the ANC would clamp down on its provincial leadership. But Duarte made it clear that far from removing present provincial leadership, it was taking steps to provide more support to it. Another decision that was taken was to withdraw the ANC’s Constitutional court application against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the Cape Town by-election results to be scrapped. The application came after Electoral Court ruled against the ANC last week.

“The ANC has been strong in all provinces, but for a while now we have had difficulty in the Western Cape. Yesterday we took a decision not to contest in the constitutional court. This comes after the decision of the Cape High court on 7 areas where we were unable to register our candidates on time; even though we believe that we had a strong legal argument based on a precedent where the IEC allowed another party to participate under similar circumstances. But we had a long discussion on this point and decided that our resources could be better used.”

Duarte said the ANC now had two priorities in the Western Cape. “We will use all our resources – both human and otherwise – to mount a formidable campaign to win as much support back as possible. Secondly, to bolster and support the leadership of the Western Cape we will provide a strong team of NEC members who will help with organizational issues like rebuilding our branches, especially the Dullah Omar region. We are now trying to pull it all back together and should and will have an activist forum of all ANC cadres in a few days. A provincial general council will also be launched at some point.”

She said the ANC admitted that it has had difficulty in the Dullah Omar region. This will see the party calling a regional conference where new leadership will be elected. “We know that many activists lived in this region which includes the Athlone and surrounding area. We know that they would like to serve the ANC properly. They might have criticized the present provincial leadership for excluding them. But these are not ideological differences and the ANC’s strength has always been its ability to deal with these differences.”

Facing criticism

She said the party was committed to taking its membership fully into its confidence so that all its members were on board once more. “The Cape metro area has per capita received the highest delivery on housing for instance, but not enough has been done yet because of the ever growing backlog and great urbanization there. We recognize that. We believe the relationship between the ANC and voters must reconnect honestly and openly, taking cognizance of the criticism that has been leveled at us.

“We need to correct what is wrong and move forward together, because we can’t leave the Cape in the hands of people who won’t develop it for all people, especially for people in the rural area or outside the metro. This requires a well planned organisational strategy and turnaround strategy.”

According to Duarte, the party was not afraid to confront the wide criticism it had received in the Western Cape. “We won’t step away from facing voters in an intensive door to door campaign. For that we need all our resources so that we can assist our provincial leadership to take us forward long beyond 2009.

Asked about high levels of disillusionment among Cape voters, especially former ANC supporters, Duarte said: “If 500 people turned out in the Cape to elect 7 Cope councilors, I don’t think one can regard that as being representative. The ANC owes an apology to voters in those constituencies because of the late registration of our candidates.

“It may sound like this has been a demoralizing process, but it is probably one of the best revolutionary lessons we have learnt. It means that we must be absolutely efficient in every way, especially in the Western Cape because we have opposition there whose interest is extremely narrow and they will probably enter into coalition with a partner whose interests are as narrow,” she said, referring to the DA and Cope.

Coalition opposition

Duarte said the ANC could not walk away from the situation in the Western Cape. “We must accept that our candidates registered late. We also look at other results where we won 3 out of 27 seats, which reduces our influences in the metro and that means the metro will only go in one direction. It will ensure more services to the wealthy and less to the poor. For instance, they have been unable to provide housing for the poor that has been coming out of the national coffers in developments like the N2 Gateway.”

According to Duarte, disgruntled voters had a right to ask questions of the party and the ANC was ready to answer it face to face. “Our policies are biased in favour of the poor and while we may be criticized for it, we make no apologies for that. Statistics show that since democracy the wealthy and black middle class have gained the most which is natural, but we must focus on the poor. Other voices have right to say what they think, but we have to take measures to make sure we keep to our priorities.”

She also accused the media of misrepresenting the “Africanisation” of the ANC’s leadership in the Western Cape, especially in the “independent press” over the last few months. “These perceptions are wrong and must be corrected”. According tot the Cape Times, the party blames unpopular provincial chair Mcebisi Skwatsha for failing to register the party's candidates for 12 of the by-elections. The ANC won only three out of the 27 wards. The by-elections followed defections by councillors to the Congress of the People (Cope) - which subsequently won nine wards.

An NEC member said the decision yesterday had been inevitable as Skwatsha had failed to show leadership. "How can you fire (council defectors) when you don't have a plan in place? Skwatsha … should have known who would replace them. Why would an organisation with a full-time provincial secretary wait until the last minute to register candidates for the by-elections?"

ANC spokesperson Brian Sokutu said the task team would "take over politically". It would "beef up" the Western Cape as an alternative to disbanding the provincial executive. The two-day NEC meeting, at which the ANC is taking stock of recent political developments, ends on Thursday. VOC

Die Kapenaar

December 19th, 2008, 12:20 AM

Cape mayor quits the ANC

Independent Newspapers

Aziz Hartley

December 18 2008 at 09:44AM

Cedarberg municipality has a new DA mayor after ANC proportional representative Sylvia Newman resigned from the post and the party on Wednesday - leaving the ANC with 21 days to replace her on the council.

DA ward councillor Judith Mouton has taken over the post temporarily.

Control of the Cedarberg municipality is with the DA after the ANC had failed to register its delegates for last week's by-elections.

Newman said she would consider her options, which could include joining the Congress of the People (COPE).

"I gave my resignation letter to the ANC caucus secretary today. For me it goes about morals and principles - things that are absent in the ANC. I'm going to be at home for a while to think," Newman said.

Sakkie Jenner, provincial leader of the Independent Democrats which has two seats in the council, said: "The ANC has itself to blame for this (resignation). She has been busy organising for COPE in that area for some time and we told the ANC regional leadership about it.

"They have been very sloppy because they knew about the problem they were facing and did nothing."

DA provincial leader Theuns Botha said: "I think this is a product of the ANC's dictatorship. That party has lost touch with people at ground level. We have not seen the end of this walk-out.

"The real stuff is going to happen in the next three months and I think many more are going to leave the ANC. This is good for democracy in South Africa and I don't see the the ANC getting more than 25 percent of the vote in the Western Cape. The solution is not to remove Skwatsha (ANC provincial chairman Mcebisi Skwatsha).

"I think Thabo Mbeki was the biggest mistake the ANC made. He heard what he wanted to hear and lost touch with ordinary South Africans.

"The ANC acted, but acted too late. In this province Skwatsha is the unfortunate guy who is now sitting with something that has gone in the wrong direction."

ANC provincial spokesman, Garth Strachan said: "We knew about the possibility of her (Newman) joining COPE for some time and said we won't be recruiting for Cope by chasing people away."

He said Newman was given every opportunity to air her concerns about the party.

"We respect her right under the Constitution to join a party of her choice," he said.

This article was originally published on page 2 of Pretoria News on December 18, 2008

Die Kapenaar

December 19th, 2008, 12:22 AM

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ANC to lose control

2008-12-18

THE ANC suffered a severe defeat in the five by-elections held in Paarl last week, and is likely to lose control of the Drakenstein Town Council once it meets again next year.

The DA and the ID each walked away with two wards while town councillor Spasie Kika of Cope (formerly ANC) managed to retain her ward as an independent.

The four new councillors are Joyce Kroutz (DA) of Paarl East, Frans Kellerman (DA) of Klein Drakenstein, Ruth Arnolds (ID) of Wellington and Gerald Witbooi (ID) of Saron.

The ANC now has 26 town councillors, while the DA has 22, the ID has 5, the NNP has 3, the WCC has 2, and the VF+, Cope and ACDP have one each.

A lot of horse trading is expected as the ANC and DA will each try to form a ruling coalition with the aid of smaller parties.

Of the four major parties who contested the elections, the ANC got the least votes, while the DA and ID have both performed well, beating the independent candidates who support Cope in four of the five wards.

The voter turnout varied from 51,76% in Saron to 31,12% in Wellington with an average poll percentage of 43,9% over the five wards.

In Klein Drakenstein (Ward 28), Frans Kellerman of the DA garnered 32,35% of the vote, narrowly defeating Dina Johnson of the ANC (30,68%), with Edmund Pheko of Cope getting 19,6% of the support, and the ID’s Cecelia Mitchell trailing fourth with 13,94% votes.

In Saron (ward 30), where the DA did not have a candidate, Gerald Witbooi of the ID got 55% of the votes, followed by Cope-supporter Dan Kotze (25%) and the ANC with 19% of the votes.

In Weltevrede, Wellington (ward 7), Ruth Arnolds of the ID gained 31% of the vote, followed by Cope supporter Magdelene Williams (25%), Ursula du Plessis of the ANC (19,8%) and Chris Thole of the DA (13,85%).

In the Dalvale/Chicago area of Paarl East (ward 21), Cope supporter Spasie Kika got 29,3% of the votes, followed by the DA’s Eva Gouws (26,81%), Felix Cupido of the ID (25,34%) and Titus Williams of the ANC got 18,2% of the votes.

In another ward in Paarl East (ward 26), Joyce Kroutz of the DA got 35,72% of the vote, followed by Magdalene Meyer of the ID (35,5%), Karolis Petersen of the ANC (19,3%) and Cope supporter Van der Berg Pienaar (17,17%).

The smaller parties did not fare well: the two WCC candidates drew only 14 votes, while the single candidate of the NPSA drew 29 votes, the single candidate of the People’s Democratic Movement garnered 24 votes and the single candidate of the NPP drew 57 votes. The total votes for the FD’s three candidates was 33.

Die Kapenaar

December 23rd, 2008, 06:54 PM

According to the IEC the 27 wards that were held by the ANC but were contested due to the resignations and terminations of ANC ward councillors resulted in a meltdown of the ANC.

Ward Breakdown after December 10 by-elections:

Cope - 10
DA - 9
ID - 5
ANC - 3

Across all 27 wards I did an analysis of the total votes of 54,000 that were cast for each party and it revealed a runaway victory for Cope while the ANC came in third place after the DA:

Cope - 36%
DA - 24%
ANC - 21%
ID - 17%
Other parties - 2%

Mo Rush

December 23rd, 2008, 10:25 PM

The DA is a big winner, its now almost has half the seats in the City Council without any coalition parties. I think its like 97 of 210 seats or something.

Die Kapenaar

December 23rd, 2008, 10:43 PM

The DA is a big winner, its now almost has half the seats in the City Council without any coalition parties. I think its like 97 of 210 seats or something.

I hope the DA does not get a big head but you are right about their stronger position especially when they started after March 2006 with just 90 seats. The DA (which now has 96 seats of 210) could rule the city without the ID if it wanted to but it would need the support of the 6 COPE independents (aside from the support the DA gets from the multi-party forum parties (ACDP, FF+, UDM, UP) which collectively have 10 seats.

Die Kapenaar

December 23rd, 2008, 10:47 PM

http://www.elections.org.za/Images/IECLogo.gif

Results of the municipal by-elections held on 10 December 2008
11 Dec 2008

In the Western Cape, 27 by-elections took place. Of the eight (8) wards contested in the City of Cape Town [Cape Town] – CPT, two went to the Democratic Alliance and six went to independent candidates.

The new independent councillors are –

• Monwabisi Godfrey Mbaliswana in Ward 33
• Glenville Bongani Mini in Ward 34
• Boyisile Mafilika in Ward 35
• Xolile Owen Gophe in Ward 52
• Nomamfene Theresa Bottoman in Ward 87
• Mzwandile Petterson Matiwane in Ward 88

The new councillors for the Democratic Alliance are –

• Faiza Adams in Ward 45
• Natalie Lorraine Bent in Ward 75

In the rest of the Province, the new councillors are –

For the African National Congress:

• Curnell Nelie Barends in Ward 5 in Breede Valley [Worcester] – WC025
• Nceba Sindiliba Ndyalvan Ward 17 in Breede Valley [Worcester] – WC025
• Nontembiso Ellen Mpokotye in Ward 10 in Breede River/Winelands [Robertson] – WC026

For the Democratic Alliance:

• Judith Mouton in Ward 2 in Cederberg [Citrusdal] – WC012
• Koos Brandt in Ward 4 in Cederberg [Citrusdal] – WC012
• Quintin Groenewald in Ward 5 in Cederberg [Citrusdal] – WC012
• Joyce Ann Kroutz in Ward 26 in Drakenstein [Paarl] – WC023
• Frans Albertus Kellerman in Ward 28 in Drakenstein [Paarl] – WC023
• Kiro Jacobie Tiemie in Ward 1 in Theewaterskloof [Caledon] – WC031
• Samuel Fredericks in Ward 9 in Theewaterskloof [Caledon] – WC031

For the Independent Democrats:

• Delina Susan Goedeman in Ward 2 in Matzikama [Vrededal] – WC011
• Benjamin van Rooy in Ward 3 in Cederberg [Citrusdal] – WC012
• Ruth Belldine Arnolds in Ward 7 in Drakenstein [Paarl] – WC023
• Gerald John Witbooi in Ward 30 in Drakenstein [Paarl] – WC023
• James Johannes Jacobus Pheiffer in Ward 7 in Theewaterskloof [Caledon] – WC031

The following councillors are independent councillors:

• Raynold Mathew van Rooy in Ward 4 in Bergrivier [Velddrif] – WC013
• Spasie Nontuthuzelo Kika in Ward 21 in Drakenstein [Paarl] – WC023
• Freddie Speelman in Ward 3 in Breede Valley [Worcester] – WC025
• Philip Tyira in Ward 16 in Breede Valley [Worcester] – WC025

The detailed results for each ward and a comparison with the results of the Municipal Elections held on 1 March 2006 are available on the IEC website on www.elections.org.za.

ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Pretoria
11 December 2008

For media enquiries please contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386

annman

January 29th, 2009, 11:55 AM

This headline in the Argus today is damn funny! :lol:

http://www.iol.co.za/data/mastheads//mast_1.gif

Is the Cape allergic to Malema and Zuma?
Andisiwe Makinana
January 29 2009 at 12:05PM

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is to continue campaigning for the ANC in the Western Cape, despite "an overwhelming feeling on the ground" that he should be removed from the campaign trail, the Cape Argus has established.

Debate has been raging in ANC circles about whether Malema should continue campaigning for the party in the "conservative and sensitive" province, especially after his controversial statements in Cape Town last week.

Malema commented that Zuma's rape accuser had had a "nice time" and also that schoolgirls who fell pregnant should be sent to special boarding schools.

A well-placed source said it was not only Malema's involvement in the campaign that had been called into question, but it had been suggested that party president Jacob Zuma was a liability.

Suggestions that Zuma be stopped from campaigning in the Western Cape had been quashed immediately, as he was the "the face of the ANC's election campaign".

Sources said that although no official meeting had been held to discuss Malema's removal, the matter had been discussed by the provincial leadership at the elections forum.

"Some members of the elections team led by Chris Nissen discussed the issue," claimed another source.

On Wednesday Nissen denied that there had been discussions by his team to remove Malema, but added: "The Western Cape has its sensitivities and we would urge whoever comes to campaign for ANC to stick to the election manifesto."

Nomvula Mokonyane, who is heading the ANC task team to sort out the party in the province, also told the Cape Argus that Malema would continue campaigning for the party.

She said that if Malema had indeed made the statements attributed to him last week, that would be "unfortunate".

"Malema, like all ANC members will continue to campaign for the party," she said.

"What I have read is unfortunate. It should not have been said. Not only because it was towards a woman, but our constitution is about respecting human rights."

"I hope he gets a chance to set the record straight," she said.

Malema wasn't available for comment on Thursday morning.

The Capes-reader's comments are also somewhat funny...
SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT!
Showing page 1 of 1 comment pages, 5 total comments

6 Minutes ago Anonymous wrote :
Julius and Jacob should stop campaining throught the whole country.They are both a liability to their party.

8 Minutes ago Simbawe wrote :
The conservative western cape, I think what they mean is the intelegent, well educated Cape! there is deffinately a correlation between matric pass rate and the dislike for fools that cant pass matric (malema). Oh and that reminds me, its the J&B Met this w/e. I rember seeing ANC delegates (tony yengeni in particular) getting so drunk they could hardly talk last year at the Met! Cape town has more liberals than any other province, what a stupid comment!

8 Minutes ago MF CASSIM wrote :
The ANC can't hide Malema and Malema won't hide what he thinks and the people in the Cape won't hide their repugnance to many of the things that he says.

11 Minutes ago Christopher Brunsdon wrote :
Malema is the best campaigner for COPE right now. Keep up the good work, here in the Cape we need all the votes for COPE , DA and ID we can get.

12 Minutes ago Marc wrote :
Having Malema campaign for you is like bonking for chastity

Lydon

January 29th, 2009, 12:31 PM

How is the Western Cape conservative? o.O Can't say that's what I've experienced at all.

Anyway, I saw on E News two days ago that Helen Zille's office was evacuated after a bomb threat. Assholes!

annman

January 29th, 2009, 12:51 PM

How is the Western Cape conservative? o.O Can't say that's what I've experienced at all.

Anyway, I saw on E News two days ago that Helen Zille's office was evacuated after a bomb threat. Assholes!

^^ Gwede Matashe phoned in the bomb threat! :lol:

mike2005

January 30th, 2009, 12:03 PM

The Western Cape is not conservative but you must understand the communist mindset: anyone who does not agree with the party and who is educated and has more than one functioning brain cell is a threat to the "party" and therefore must be smeared and destroyed. Dont forget that the Zumas government will not be an ANC one: itwill be an SACP/COSATU one and for them the "party" is the state and anyone who questions the party is a traitor.

Pule

January 30th, 2009, 12:25 PM

^^ that's one sense making comment you have made and if we don't vote or even campaign for other parties, they we are doomed.

Lydon

January 30th, 2009, 04:56 PM

What pisses me off to NO end is this idiot protesters. Yesterday there was a bunch of them blocking a Cape Town highway saying that they won't vote because of government isn't delivering.

I can understand party loyalty, but honestly...vote for the opposition!

annman

February 2nd, 2009, 07:46 AM

^^ Let them be dumb... Let them not vote... Because once less vote for the ANC is just one extra point the opposition gains through people that will vote for them.

Lydon

February 2nd, 2009, 11:20 PM

It's true, but I'd rather those points be gained by the opposition.

Die Kapenaar

February 24th, 2009, 08:54 PM

ID's Williams quits in favour of DA

February 23, 2009

Edition 2

Lindsay Dentlinger

The ID stands to lose further ground in Mitchells Plain following the resignation of another ward councillor.

Dennis Williams now looks likely to contest the ward, this time for the DA, in a by-election scheduled for March 25.

If successful, he will not only increase the DA's grip on the area, but the ID's city caucus will be reduced to 16 seats in the 210-member council.

The party won 22 seats in the 2006 municipal elections, including Ward 79 which in- cludes the areas of Portlands, Beacon Valley and Eastridge, represented by Williams.

Soon after that, the ID lost the Tafelsig ward to the DA, after Sheval Arendse defected.

Williams said the party had "restricted" him from focusing on the needs of the community in favour of party work.

His decided to join the DA because of its rate of delivery to the people of Mitchells Plain: "The ID hasn't come up for the people in Mitchells Plain. The DA practises what it preaches."

Meanwhile, residents of Parow and Bellville will go to the polls next month to vote in the Ward 2 by-election, following the death of DA councillor Wim van der Bijl last month.

Following a slew of resignations from the ANC's city caucus in recent months, Speaker Dirk Smit said only the seats of Williams and Van der Bijl remained vacant.

Die Kapenaar

February 24th, 2009, 08:59 PM

ID's Williams quits in favour of DA

Soon after that, the ID lost the Tafelsig ward to the DA, after Sheval Arendse defected.

The Cape Argus conveniently forgot to mention the Macassar ward by-election in May of last year when the ID's John Heuvel trounced the DA in a ward previously held by the DA.

As for who will win the Beacon Valley ward, we will see and the Cape Argus might be surprised. It is interesting to note that William's wife, Charlotte had defected to COPE last year after she gave up her subcouncil chairman position. We have not heard from her since. Maybe she too decided to jump ship again when Dennis decided to align himself with the Zille gravytrain.

Lydon

February 24th, 2009, 09:26 PM

Dennis Williams - a man with a brain!

Lydon

February 26th, 2009, 11:51 AM

Hahaha, saw this avatar on the DA's volunteer website. Thought it was brilliant:

http://contributetochange.org.za//avatars/12/untitled-avatar2.jpg

SharksBoy

February 26th, 2009, 02:50 PM

haha Super Zille. anybody make malema in villian?

Andrew_za

February 27th, 2009, 09:09 PM

hahaha classic

annman

March 2nd, 2009, 12:22 PM

Absolutely Brilliant!!!

If Malema had some kind of superpower, what does he have? Malema (like Bravestar [old kids' program]), M-A-L-E-M-A, Malema, eyes of the shrew, ears of the wasp, M-A-L-E-M-A, Malema, strength of the rabbit, speed of the tortoise, brain of the amoeba! MALEMA, MALEMA!

Lydon

March 21st, 2009, 12:46 AM

I noticed this today whilst browsing the interwebs. Can't say I've seen anyone else doing it! (you're supposed to be looking at the advert!)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/SAsurfa/FrouFrou.jpg

The E.N.D

March 21st, 2009, 03:13 AM

^^Lydon,is that a Robert Pattison wallpaper you have there? :)

Lydon

March 21st, 2009, 11:34 AM

^^ 6 of the main characters *blush*

annman

March 26th, 2009, 08:28 AM

The final tally is not yet in for the Mitchell's Plain and Bellville Ward 2 by-elections yet, but most votes have already been tallied. The DA obviously retains Bellville Ward 2, the DA is according to the Cape Times, winning by an "avalanche" in Mitchell's Plain.

annman

March 26th, 2009, 09:28 AM

From Die Burger

Preliminary Results: DA 5 040 votes (79,4%); ID 505; ANC 439; Cope 164.

Mo Rush

March 26th, 2009, 10:14 AM

DA retains Bellville, wins 'landslide' in Mitchells Plain

March 26, 2009 Edition 2

Aziz Hartley and Anel Powell

THE Democratic Alliance has retained its Ward 2 seat in Bellville and Parow and tightened its stranglehold on Mitchells Plain with a victory in Ward 79, and although official results were not available late last night, the party said "it is not a landslide, it's an avalanche". Ward 2 became vacant in January when DA councillor Wim van der Bijl died.

Cope's candidate, Vincent Swart, said his party wanted to test its support among white voters and gauge its strength against that of the ANC.

In Ward 79, which included Beacon Valley, Eastridge and Portlands, DA candidate Dennis Williams, who crossed from the Independent Democrats, leading to the by-election, won the seat. Conceding defeat, ID provincial secretary Rodney Lentitt said: "They have it (Ward 79). They have won the ward."

Cope's Ward 79 candidate, Haylee-Ann Powell, said: "It looks like the DA has taken it. This is Cope's first time, but win or lose we are positive."

Williams said: "Things have been going well for us. It is not going to be a landslide, it is an avalanche."

According to DA MPL Anroux Marais, his party received 5 040 votes in Ward 79 to the ID's 505, the ANC's 439 and Cope's 164. In Ward 2, the DA received 4 943 votes, the ANC 62 and Cope 127 in a 36% poll.

Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) provincial head Courtney Sampson said no serious incidents were reported during the voting, which was "vibrant, but orderly".

There was tension between the ID and the DA in Mitchells Plain in the morning after the ID lodged a complaint with the IEC.

Lentitt accused the DA of having been involved in an incident in which a 15-year-old ID supporter was allegedly assaulted while canvassing in Eastridge with a group of ID supporters on Wednesday evening.

The head of political studies at UCT, Robert Schrire, said while the DA's win showed the party had gained momentum, particularly in the metropolitan area, Cope's performance showed it could take votes from the ANC. In tight contests elsewhere, Cope could help strengthen opposition parties.

Of the ID's performance in Ward 79, Schrire said: "It seems to confirm the view that the ID is not able to build up momentum.

"It is seen by many voters as a one-person band under Patricia de Lille.

"It seems voters are turning to parties that will be much more of an opposition to the ANC and this is the DA."

Keith Gottschalk, a political analyst at UWC, said while there was all-out competition between the DA and the ID for the coloured vote in Mitchells Plain, it was clear DA leader Helen Zille had a strategy to gain support among coloured voters without losing support among white voters.

Many coloured voters shied away from the ANC because of its stance on affirmative action, an issue that continued to divide African and coloured voters, he said.

Ryan Coetzee, the DA's chief executive officer, said the party regarded the by-elections as a dry run for the general election.

annman

March 26th, 2009, 10:16 AM

DA wins by a landslide

The Democratic Alliance won landslide victories in two by-elections held in Cape Town on Wednesday, a sign, the party says, that it is on track to win the Western Cape province in the national election on April 22.

"If all our voters turn out on election day, we could win the province with an outright majority," DA leader Helen Zille said on Thursday.

The result of ward 79 in the mainly coloured area of Mitchells Plain, where the DA captured the seat previously held by the Independent Democrats (ID), is particularly significant, she said.

The DA polled 79.4 percent - up from 37.8 percent in 2006 - while the ID polled eight percent - down from 38.7 percent in 2006.

'We could win the province with an outright majority'
"The resounding victory in Mitchells Plain is an endorsement of the DA's commitment to non-racialism and to improving the circumstances of all through our governance in Cape Town," Zille said.

"The Mitchells Plain by-election result also indicates that the ID is haemorrhaging support in its former Cape Town strongholds. Opposition voters are consolidating their forces within the DA."

In ward two in Parow, the DA won 96.5 percent of the vote - an increase from 83.1 percent in 2006. The ANC and the Congress of the People received 1.3 percent and 2.2 percent of the vote respectively.

"The DA is retaining the support of long-standing DA voters and, contrary to the perception of some analysts, COPE is not a factor in the Western Cape," Zille said.

The head of the COPE's policy research unit, Farouk Cassiem, said the party would have to embark on a new strategy before the elections in April.

"With a little more organisation it will be relatively easy for COPE to overtake the ANC in most parts of the Western Cape," Cassiem said.

"The DA however, will pose a relatively steeper challenge especially in the predominantly white areas.

"It is regrettable that COPE's appeal to the white community to support COPE to build a truly non-racial South Africa is still going unheeded.

"However, the fact that coloured support for the DA within the metro is strong will help to achieve a non-racial outcome through a reverse process."

Cassiem said the results of the by-elections indicated that Cope had enough support to establish a viable branch in each and every voting district.

"Each branch will have to canvass 500 members within the voting district. That is the target that COPE will have to be set and monitor to see whether it is being attained.

"As the DA has about four out of 10 supporters in these wards COPE should attempt to influence an equal number."

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the results of other by-elections held on Wednesday confirmed the strength of ANC support in areas that it won in the 2006 local government elections.

"The ANC retained all of the seats it held in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng and Limpopo," Duarte said.

"These results underline the point that the ANC remains the only party with firm support across the country." - Sapa

I think it is now safe to begin saying what Mo and I have been saying all along, people in poor and rich areas are noticing Helen Zille and the DA's work in the City of Cape Town, and responding favourably with their "X's." These people that keep saying the DA is this, the DA is that, are beginning to eat their words. Not saying the DA is the only good alternative to the ANC, but their track record of governance in Cape Town is rewarding them at the polls. Here's holding thumbs for a more "representative government" in provinces like Gauteng and Northern Cape come April, because I think it's safe to say the Western Cape will definitely be in DA/ID hands come April, without a doubt.

grjplanes

March 26th, 2009, 11:25 AM

Check out all the results on the IEC's webpage, very interesting.
Yes the ANC kept all their wards they had before, but in most of them that majority was reduced, some as drastic as from around 90% to around 50%.
It's good to see that Cope also had in many of these wards at least 10-20%.
The DA also kept all their wards, plus winning the Mitchell's Plain one over, and in all them stretched the lead, the two Ekhurhuleni ones is almost stretched to 90%!
See the Port Elizabeth result, ANC,COPE,DA very close.

annman

March 26th, 2009, 01:36 PM

Funny, now just after results were released, the ID claims the DA "bought the vote," and the ANC says, "it's low voter turnout, don't read into it." Interesting views, considering, during the campaigning process and voting process, no objections were raised firstly, why now all of a sudden? Secondly, isn't that exactly what will happen with ANC-supporters who are disgruntled? They often show this behavior; they refuse to vote for anyone else, they become despondent and simply don't vote.

grjplanes

March 26th, 2009, 03:09 PM

Still if one has a look at the comparisons to the previous municipal elections, especially the ones the ANC won before as well, the voter turn-out is pretty much on par if not slightly more.
As soon as these stats show signs which is not very favourable the parties claim that it's no indication of national/provincial elections, but if it is showing good performance by them they're all smiles and telling us how this proves their strengths. All parties are guilty of that!

Lydon

March 26th, 2009, 06:36 PM

annman

March 27th, 2009, 08:24 AM

SASCO has pledged its support in April to COPE, so that automatically could give them 500 000 votes nationwide potentially. COPE has repeatedly ruled out any coalition with the ANC, so they are also the "Alternative." Yeah for the Alternative!!! :banana:

herb21

March 27th, 2009, 11:14 PM

^^ I thought SASCO clearly supported the ANC

Die Kapenaar

March 27th, 2009, 11:40 PM

^^ I thought SASCO clearly supported the ANC

They still do. There are two factions in the WC that are claiming legitimacy with one supporting Cope and the other supports the ANC.

Die Kapenaar

March 27th, 2009, 11:46 PM

Oh dear...the ID's results are terrible. They really are sore losers though - eish at those comments! I never really expected the ANC or COPE to gain that many votes, so it's good to see the first of the two gaining very few and COPE doing better than I expected.

Well the DA were thugs in Mitchell's Plain just like I told you before they had employed gangsters to beat up ID supporters. The DA uses intimidation tactics that are no different than the ANC. While the DA talks about liberal democracy they sure are hypocrites who do not practice it on the ground.

The DA by-election victory in Ward 79 - Beacon Valley was hardly a convincing victory when 63% of the registered electorate didn't vote either because they didn't care or they were afraid of intimidation from the DA led by the William's family party machine in that ward.

Both Dennis Williams and Charlotte Williams are serial defectors who change parties to suit the occasion. They started out with the Labour Party and then defect to the NNP, then join the ID, then join the DA and who knows where they will go next by the time of the local elections in 2011.

Mo Rush

March 28th, 2009, 12:16 AM

who knows where they will go next by the time of the local elections in 2011.

Like Grindrod?

Lydon

March 28th, 2009, 03:14 PM

Well the DA were thugs in Mitchell's Plain just like I told you before they had employed gangsters to beat up ID supporters. The DA uses intimidation tactics that are no different than the ANC. While the DA talks about liberal democracy they sure are hypocrites who do not practice it on the ground.

Oh? You mean like the convicted murderer that was included on the ID's candidate list? :banana:

This is a typical case of being a sore loser. Let's face it bru - the ID is stuffed. The proof is in the pudding and the results speak for themself. You can't use the argument of "only a small percentage of people voted!" as that means 1) ID supporters (and clearly there isn't many of them! :laugh:) are too lazy to go vote and that doesn't speak much about them compared to the supporters of other parties and 2) ID voters would not have been the only party whose supporters didn't go vote.

I say it again...there is no excusing the pathetic ID results in the by-elections. You've stated time and again that the DA is doomed come the elections, yet basically all facts speak the opposite. You may not like the DA, but that doesn't change the fact that they have far more support than the ID does.

EduardSA

March 28th, 2009, 03:18 PM

The DA pulling intimidation tactics? First time I hear of this...

Has it been in the newspaper or has the ID reported it to the IEC? If not, then I think its bollocks. Someone calling another an idiot for voting ID is not electoral intimidation. It is an insult to the person's dignity though (I'm referring to the voting not the name-calling :D)

annman

March 28th, 2009, 03:40 PM

Mo Rush

March 29th, 2009, 12:45 AM

I can just imagine Helen and a few gangsters intimidating voters. its so typical of her :)

herb21

March 29th, 2009, 12:58 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_de_Lille Now she sounds pretty gangster and that photo looks like she is pretty drunk at springboks on a thursday (jugnight)

EduardSA

March 29th, 2009, 11:33 AM

Haha jug nite!! Love it bru!! After a crap test at varsity, it's always the best place to be :)

Die Kapenaar

March 31st, 2009, 12:57 AM

^^ De Kaapenaar... what on earth is your bloody issue with the DA? :ohno: There's some seriously misguided deeply entrenched psychological issues towards them? And you keep saying the DA are thugs... if they are, as other forumers have said, where's the official complaint from the ID to the IEC? Patricia is fully aware of the correct channels to take action, if she isn't taking action, the accusations are extremely suspect. And why do you keep saying the DA intimidates? Have you seen it with your own eyes?

The DA act like they are on high horses and they are arrogant. They forget to remember that the reason why Helen is still mayor is because the ID put her there because it holds the balance of power in CT. But despite that the DA rams through things like the electricity tariff in the city council which will go up 33.33%! They don't give a damn about the poor people in the city. All they give a damn about is those that live in leafy suburbs that can afford these increases. That is why the ID rejects the new budget tabled in council by Helen Zille and will vote against it in it's current form.

Lydon

March 31st, 2009, 08:33 AM

The ID won't hold the "balance of power" much longer. To be quite honest, the ID siding with the DA is generally the purpose of their existence. They are opposition for a reason you know.

Have you read through the list of exactly what the DA has done for poor people? Clearly not. I'm glad their voters (or now lack thereof) have woken up and have decided to vote for proper political parties, because in all honesty the ID really is small-fry.

Mo Rush

March 31st, 2009, 09:12 AM

ANC caucus walks out as Zille fights fire with fire

March 31, 2009 Edition 2

Anél Powell

CAPE TOWN Mayor Helen Zille, asked whether she has used council time and resources for Democratic Alliance party work, replied with a blistering attack on the ANC, accusing it of abusing taxpayers' money by funding electoral activities disguised as provincial imbizos.

The ANC responded by walking out of the council chamber midway through her reply. Chants and singing could be heard as Zille finished her long reply.

Before walking out, during the first part of her response, the ANC councillors heckled Zille and complained about her.

Zille said later she would table her reply so the ANC could read it "when they come out of denial".

The disturbance followed a written question from ANC chief whip Peter Gabriel about how much time Zille had spent away from the city council while preoccupied with campaign work between November and March 13 this year.

Gabriel also asked whether the mayor or DA had made any payments to the city for the use of council resources since the DA-led coalition came into power in 2006.

Zille retaliated by accusing the ANC of being worried about its own electoral prospects if she was allowed to travel outside Cape Town.

"I am not neglecting the interests of the City of Cape Town by campaigning against the ANC in the next elections."

The ANC's president, Jacob Zuma, had cost taxpayers more than R100 million in security expenses without being elected to political office, Zille said.

During the period in question, she had devoted 70 hours more to council business than was legally required.

When she missed mayoral committee meetings, she had put in for leave, Zille said.

"The DA does indeed pay the city for any resources used while engaged in party business." The party has paid almost R90 000 to the city for the use of council resources.

Zille also used the opportunity to lambast the provincial government for withholding from the city housing accreditation that would allow it to approve housing projects and subsidies.

She said the city had waited almost two years for the accreditation, only to be told that the audit requested by the provincial government had not been necessary.

The province was delaying the release of land for housing, Zille said. Instead of transferring 434ha of vacant land that would be able to take up to 40 000 housing units, the province had sold it to private developers.

Zille included Premier Lynn Brown in her attack, saying she had shown a "lack of leadership" in response to taxi violence and intimidation.

"The premier instead sat on the sidelines criticising me for my suggestion that the army should be called upon as a last resort to deal with taxi violence. The province's poor management of the industry … affects the safety of hundreds of thousands of commuters every day."

Once Zille had finished speaking, re-elected Speaker Dirk Smit (DA) warned that, as the council meeting had begun with a quorum, it would continue with or without the ANC caucus. The ANC returned to the chamber.

anel.powell@inl.co.za

annman

March 31st, 2009, 10:03 AM

The DA act like they are on high horses and they are arrogant. They forget to remember that the reason why Helen is still mayor is because the ID put her there because it holds the balance of power in CT. But despite that the DA rams through things like the electricity tariff in the city council which will go up 33.33%! They don't give a damn about the poor people in the city. All they give a damn about is those that live in leafy suburbs that can afford these increases. That is why the ID rejects the new budget tabled in council by Helen Zille and will vote against it in it's current form.
What is the DA supposed to do with the 34% ESKOM increase looming? Simply absorb it into an already "pro-poor budget." Are they supposed to allow infrastructure backlogs and non-delivery of services just because ESKOM raises their rates? You're arguing something that has bugger-all to do with the City of Cape Town and everything with ESKOM and NERSA. They don;t give a damn about poor people? What is this free refuse removal for households all about earning under R100,000? What is this anger Helen Zille has with the province blocking all land-acquisition projects in the city, her anger at them thwarting all housing projects, like N2 Gateway? Her IRT Phase 1 (serving DuNoon, Marconi Bean and Atlantis), Phase 2 (aimed only at the Cape Flats)... no, she clearly hates poor people.

Anything that is purely a city administrative duty, she has done lots, when it comes to shared responsibilities with the province, her hands have been chopped off by the ANC. You can only intelligently judge housing, electricity, land restitution etc. post provincial take-over. Unfortunately, these statements show strong evidence that the ANC propaganda machine of painting the DA as an elitist, racist, anti-poor party is working on many of the masses.

And how is the ID fully responsible for Helen's mayorship? Did the ID just give it to her, did the DA not get a single vote? If they're so dissatisfied and so disgruntled, why haven't they walked out of the coalition? Why haven't they defected to a coalition with the ANC? If your party is so bloody pissed off as you clearly are... there's the door...

The DA will simply do it without you come April and if there's that out chance they only get say 45%, they'll call in the FF+, ACDP and maybe COPE (who have stated they refuse an ANC coalition) and run the province and city.

You keep making accusations and give no proof, I'm still waiting for the DA-Thug allegation proof I wanted a while back... actually most of the Cape Town forumers are desperate to hear your proof of this DA-Anarchy being sowed on the Cape Flats... please, show us, help us dumb-people see the light!

Mo Rush

March 31st, 2009, 10:21 AM

They don't give a damn about the poor people in the city. All they give a damn about is those that live in leafy suburbs that can afford these increases.

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!

Die Kapenaar

March 31st, 2009, 11:00 PM

What is the DA supposed to do with the 34% ESKOM increase looming? Simply absorb it into an already "pro-poor budget." Are they supposed to allow infrastructure backlogs and non-delivery of services just because ESKOM raises their rates? You're arguing something that has bugger-all to do with the City of Cape Town and everything with ESKOM and NERSA. They don;t give a damn about poor people? What is this free refuse removal for households all about earning under R100,000? What is this anger Helen Zille has with the province blocking all land-acquisition projects in the city, her anger at them thwarting all housing projects, like N2 Gateway? Her IRT Phase 1 (serving DuNoon, Marconi Bean and Atlantis), Phase 2 (aimed only at the Cape Flats)... no, she clearly hates poor people.

Anything that is purely a city administrative duty, she has done lots, when it comes to shared responsibilities with the province, her hands have been chopped off by the ANC. You can only intelligently judge housing, electricity, land restitution etc. post provincial take-over. Unfortunately, these statements show strong evidence that the ANC propaganda machine of painting the DA as an elitist, racist, anti-poor party is working on many of the masses.

And how is the ID fully responsible for Helen's mayorship? Did the ID just give it to her, did the DA not get a single vote? If they're so dissatisfied and so disgruntled, why haven't they walked out of the coalition? Why haven't they defected to a coalition with the ANC? If your party is so bloody pissed off as you clearly are... there's the door...

The DA will simply do it without you come April and if there's that out chance they only get say 45%, they'll call in the FF+, ACDP and maybe COPE (who have stated they refuse an ANC coalition) and run the province and city.

You keep making accusations and give no proof, I'm still waiting for the DA-Thug allegation proof I wanted a while back... actually most of the Cape Town forumers are desperate to hear your proof of this DA-Anarchy being sowed on the Cape Flats... please, show us, help us dumb-people see the light!

As for the electricity hike, Helen could have cut the capital expenditures allocated for Camps Bay, Constantia, Newlands, etc. and applied the money to keep electricity tariffs at the level of inflation, about 10% increase. All she cares about is giving first world service to the richest 20% in the city but this is an illusion as 80% of the people are neglected and do not live in first world conditions. What's the point of providing first world services to the wealthy suburbs when wages are not first world. In fact the city will be increasing salaries by only 10% but city staff like everyone elsewill have to foot a 33% electricity hike. Hell no. The ID should support Cosatu in giving a DA an ultimatum: stop the tariff hike or we'll shut down the city by a mass strike.

Helen Zille is just as responsible as Lynn Brown for the lack of coordination and cooperation between city and province and the voters will punish both the DA and ANC for their divisive politics.

As for the election outcome in WC, I doubt the DA will even come close to 45%. It is likely to be more like:

DA - 30%
ANC - 35%
ID - 15%
Cope - 10%
ACDP - 2%
UDM - 1%
FF+ - 1%
AMP - 1%
PAC - 1%
Other - 4%

Doesn't seem likely that the DA can do without the ID and will need the support of Cope as well in order to take power from the ANC.

Die Kapenaar

March 31st, 2009, 11:05 PM

Hope springs eternal? Not in this town

March 28 2009 at 08:06PM

By Lynnette Johns

Cape Town - With its art galleries, restaurants, wine estates and pretty antique stores, Robertson is a tourist hub. But beneath its charming exterior is simmering discontent and real misery.

Coloured people, who make up more than 70 percent of the town, say they are second-class citizens and bear the brunt of discrimination from both white and black.

Most of the workforce find employment on farms and many permanent workers live on the farms, while seasonal workers are scattered throughout the district.

Come election day farmers will transport their workers to the polls as they have done previously.

You can tell which part of town you're in by the party posters: the Freedom Front Plus posters have claimed poles in the white areas, while Jacob Zuma smiles from on high in the black area.

Robertson forms part of the Winelands District Municipality, which has one of the highest incidences of foetal alcohol syndrome in the world.

A new study by FasFacts, an NGO which concentrates on the syndrome, has shown that even though the dop system no longer officially exists, the results of alcohol abuse continue to destroy poor communities. Most of the people affected by FAS are coloured.

The old lament of "we weren't white enough, now we not black enough" is said time and time again. Coloured people say they want dignity, they want to be valued, and they do not want to be treated as second-class citizens.

Most of the coloureds work on farms, but some are shop assistants and some have started their own businesses.

Apartheid spatial planning is still evident here. White people live in wide tree-lined streets in the dorp, coloureds live on farms or in one of the many suburbs set aside for them, while black people live in Nqubela on the edge of the village, past the industrial area.

Many people say they have seen little or no change since 1994, and will no longer vote for the ANC, the party which introduced reverse racism, they claim.

Instead they will make their crosses next to the ID or Cope or the DA. Being the majority in the town, where 54 000 people are registered, the coloureds helped to install the ANC in the municipality, but many say they now feel betrayed.

The municipality may be ruled by the ANC, but the economy is run by white farmers and business people. Black and coloured business people mostly ply their trade in their own areas.

Elclauvia Lakay, who works at a dry cleaners, says: "In this town everyone knows their place."

"Racism, huh, the end of apartheid? Not much has changed here. Apartheid is even still practised in the doctors' surgeries."

Coloureds are feeling stifled and oppressed, and they say the election results will not change that. Putting food on the table is their first priority, and watching their children struggle to find work breaks their hearts.

Grandmother Ellen Jansen says: "I just want to be treated like a human being. White people are still the bosses, black people run the municipality, so where does that leave us?

"Even our so-called leaders have not done anything for us, nothing has changed here race-wise."

She urges the Weekend Argus team to "go up the road to the doctor's surgery to see what I mean".

Jansen says she will vote for the ID in the hopes that the party will raise the issues of coloured people.

"You feel like a dog, but what can we do? That's Robertson."

Pat Goliath says he was unfairly dismissed from a construction company because he had "too much mouth".

"My skin was too dark to get a decent job, now it's too light, how must I paint myself? There is no hope in this new South Africa."

Martin Geduld will abandon the ANC this time in favour of the ID.

"Coloured people get too few rights, our children are pushed to the background and black people are being promoted. I will vote brown."

Geduld, who lives in Panaroma outside town, has come to the doctor. Those with medical aid go through one door, cash-payers - all of them black and coloured - through another. They are also treated in separate examination rooms. Medical aid patients are treated first.

The cash patients sit waiting in a small room with wooden benches. Geduld, a spaza shop owner, says he would rather be treated like a second-class citizen here than try his chances at the government hospital, where he would sit for hours and possibly not even see a doctor.

"Yes, it's humiliating, but I don't have a choice when I need a doctor," says Geduld.

In Nqubela social housing is replacing what was once an informal settlement, bringing a sense of dignity to the thousands of black people who were born here. People here can see the changes.

Unathi Teyisi says houses have been built and she is one of 12 people trained at state expense to be a baker. With funds from the district municipality and the provincial department of social development, a bakery has been set up where they will make "fresh, hot bread" for their community.

Most of the white people in the town keep to themselves, many of them disillusioned with the country. But some of the business people have been supporting Cope, putting up money for office space for the fledgling party.

Drienie Mulder owns Bon Appetit, a busy cafe? in a side street. Her husband Johan was an accountant at the municipality, but he resigned in disgust as untrained and unqualified people were placed in jobs.

"He ended up having to do their jobs, so he left for the private sector. They lost a good person," she says.

Drienie worked for the Land Bank for years, and her reasons for leaving were similar to her husband's.

"Yes, we can see the changes, and we know exactly who we are going to vote for."

At a florist's shop an elderly woman initially refuses to speak to Weekend Argus, but then changes her mind. A spinster, who worked for many years for a tyre concern, says that when she retired she realised her money was not going to last. She is polite but bitter. She inherited her home from her parents, now the municipality insists on exorbitant rates, she says.

"I am a poor pensioner."

She says the country is in a mess, and as for political parties, "each one is more deurmekaar than the other".

She adds: "I have to vote or else I won't be able to say anything."

Things are not much more hopeful on the farms.

Farm worker Jan Klaasen was recently given the job of driving the grapes from the Roezandt farm to the winery. He says there has not been much political activity on the farms. Many things have changed, he says, but is at a loss as to say how.

Klaasen has voted since 1994 and says if the farmer takes them to the polls, he will vote on April 22.

While Klaasen has managed to go up in the world, pensioner Andries Jansen is battling. The old man lives on the Zevenberge farm in Wonderfontein. He retired three years ago after working on the farm for seven years, and the farmer allowed him and his family to stay on.

He uses an old pair of crutches to get around and has been known to walk for kilometres to the day hospital for his pain medication.

Sometimes he has waited in vain to be treated, only to be turned away from the clinic.

Jansen, who voted for the National Party in 1994, says if he votes he will vote for Cope. Leaning heavily on his crutches he says: "I will never vote for the ANC, they have abused this country and nothing has changed. Maybe I will find a home with Cope."

His daughter Sandra Jansen and his granddaughter Sue-Ellen Le Roux, both police reservists, are excited about the elections, but will not be voting. Neither is registered as a voter.

This article was originally published on page 16 of Cape Argus on March 28, 2009