Thursday 13 May
Contact numbers of the election media team are:
021 696 8448 (direct line)
021 696 7510 (general line : ask for elections media)
021 696 8445 (elections fax)
082-4765650 (Gert Witbooi's cell phone)
021 418 4616 code z 7131 (Cameron Dugmore's pager)
021 238 333 code ANC 14 (Gert Witbooi's pager)
083 340 1433 (Kenny Pasensie's cell phone)
With less than twenty days to go, the ANC election team continues to gather momentum.
Last night at a packed Delft Hall, ANC leader and premier candidate, Ebrahim Rasool, outlined the ANC's 5 pledges and plan for the Western Cape. ANC President, Thabo Mbeki, will once again visit the Western Cape for the entire weekend, spending time in the Metro, Southern Cape and Boland. (See Southern Cape Programme)
The Delft meeting was one of the first public meetings since the provincial general council held on 30 April, where a decision was taken to focus exclusively on door-to-door canvassing and house meetings with undecided voters.
It is clear that this additional focus on direct voter contact is bearing fruit. It is obvious that undecided voters, when approached by the ANC Western Cape's call to stand together and fight for change in the Western Cape, begin to understand the need to make a change in this province.
Summary of previous events and trends
At factory level, the ANC is making great inroads as well as where union members, shop stewards and ordinary COSATU members are assisting with campaigning at factory floor level and in the community.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi visited Mitchell's Plain, Atlantis and Blue Downs over the past weekend where she spoke to women about the new child support grant and the issue of maintenance. While she was in the Cape Flats, Derek Hanekom toured the Karoo and the Southern Cape, while Minister Zola Skweyiya spent the weekend in Khayelitsha and the Overberg on the campaign trail.
Trevor Manuel's direct voter contact is bearing fruit while and Speaker Frene Ginwala is also playing a major role in this regard.
Posters
The ANC has laid charges at the Athlone Police Station against certain individuals who attempted to burn ANC posters and also against a DP postering team who continually move the ANC posters down poles to make space for their own. We have called on all of our members not to retaliate or in any way be involved in removing posters of other parties. About 300 ANC posters put up in Crossroads were removed on Monday night and dumped at one of our councillor's houses. We are winning the poster war and it appears that this is making opponents of the ANC desperate.
UDM provocation
The ANC is deeply concerned at attempts by the UDM to provoke our members. During the visit of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to KTC/Nyanga on Freedom Day, UDM supporters hurled stones at the ANC convoy. Only two nights ago at an ANC meeting in KTC, a known UDM member fired a shot into the air. There is also a pattern of wild allegations being made against the ANC about posters and against SANCO for not allowing the UDM to meet. It is obvious that the UDM does not have support on the ground and they are trying to project an image of being victims. The ANC has never stood in the way on any organisation conducting its campaign. We have every interest in a peaceful campaign.
Poorly attended public meetings of the NNP, DP and UDM
This week, the DP organised two busses for a meeting of Hennie Bester in Paarl on Monday. The one bus was empty, while the other had only four people. Twenty-eight people, mostly from Paarl, attended the meeting. The DP also cancelled a planned meeting in Hout Bay two nights ago, while the UDM arrived in Grabouw and found that their delegation of ten outnumbered the three people who turned up for the meeting.. The UDM described its George meeting as "overflowing". The truth is that ANC members who attended outnumbered the UDM, most of whom were bussed in from other areas. The ANC drew more white people to a public meeting in George that the DP leader Tony Leon did three weeks ago. Gerald Morkel, who appears not to have been able to offer a sober thought during the entire campaign, drew twenty people to a meeting in Franschhoek on Monday night.
DP's shift to the right alienating many erstwhile supporters
It is clear that the DP strategists have blundered in allowing Tony Leon to dominate all aspects of the campaign and to follow a negative message. Liberals of note such as Ken Owen have deserted them, while many others feel greatly uneasy at finding themselves on the right of the political spectrum. The "Fight Back" campaign has been a disaster for the DP and it would not be surprising if Tony Leon's head rolls after the election campaign. The DP's list is the most unrepresentative of all parties and it is no wonder that people like Dr Bulawa and Chris April left them. The DP's dangerous attempt to build an anti-ANC coalition has even been cold-shouldered by the Nats.
Nat-Attack continues
Every week sees more and more NP members joining the ANC. While the NP describes this as cheque-book politics, they know that their support is crumbling and should ask themselves why this is happening. Morkel's statement that he would rather fight with 10 men he can trust than with 100 that he is not sure of, is coming back to haunt him.
It is clear that the NP is deeply divided over the issue of coalition with the ANC. Tommy Immelman, although effectively sidelined from the NP, continues to be an active member of the Broeder cabal in the Western Cape, led by former P.W. Botha-appointed organiser Hennie Smit. This group favours an alliance with the DP to keep the ANC out, while another faction led by Marais has made it clear that they regard the DP as a party for wealthy white people.
It is also understood that the NP has launched an investigation into the whereabouts of over R 1 million obtained from foreign donors, but which cannot be accounted for.
Two weeks back, it was Sumaya Taliep from the Cape Town Council. Then it was most of the NP exec. in Laingsburg. And last night, it was former NP Blaauwberg Mayor, Heather Maneveldt. Youth leaders such as Ashley Manie and others; newly-recruited members such as Patrick McKenzie, Pierre Gerber and Councillor George from Rocklands are doing sterling work on the ground. Former DP deputy leader, Chris April, has been campaigning door-to-door for the last two months in the Southern Cape. It is clear that many more NP and DP members, councillors, supporters and activists will move to the ANC as the election draws nearer.
Events for the coming weekend
Thursday, 13 May 1999
20h00 Ebrahim Rasool, Kader Asmal, Nomatyala Hangana & Philip Dexter to speak at Public Meeting at Mowbray Town Hall, Main Road, Mowbray
Friday, 14 May 1999
Deputy President Thabo Mbeki will be in the Western Cape Province the entire weekend. His proposed schedule through to Sunday, 16 May is as follows. He will be accompanied by Mr Ebrahim Rasool for most of the events below:
12h00 Youth Rally at UWC Sports Stadium
14h00 Door-to-door canvassing, J.T. Jabavu, Khayelitsha
15h00 Address pensioners at Blue Hall, Site C, Khayelitsha
16h00 Voter contact and pamphlet distribution, Gatesville Shopping Centre - Athlone
16h45 Voter contact and pamphlet distribution, Athlone CBD.
Saturday, 15 May 1999
10h00 Address SACTWU shop stewards, SACTWU HALL, Industria House, Salt River
13h00 Walk-about and street-corner meeting in Hornlee, Knysna
13h45 Rally at Conville Primary School in George
16h15 Door-to-door campaigning in St. Blaize Street, D'Almeida, Mossel Bay
16h50 Door-to-door campaigning in Mali Street, Elangeni, Mossel Bay
19h00 Women's League Dinner at Multi-purpose Centre, Lotus River
20h30 Meeting with opinion-makers at Victoria Junction, Greenpoint
Sunday, 16 May 1999
08h30 Attend a church service at the Vereniginde Gereformeerde Kerk (branch to be announced)
10h30 Visit to Robertson Huis, 20 Corsair Road, Milnerton
11h30 People's forum at playground, Village 4, Joe Modise Street, Phillippi
13h00 Mr Mbeki joins Minister Derek Hanekom at a lunch to hand over cheques to land restitution claimants in Bellville. Details of venue to follow.
15h00 Rally at the Mbekweni Stadium, Mbekweni, Paarl.
Issued by ANC DIP Western Cape.
Further details contact Elections Media Office at above numbers.