Issued by African National Congress
12 December 2003
The African National Congress will launch its 2004 election campaign on Sunday, 11 January at a mass rally at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.
This launch will coincide with the celebration of the 92nd anniversary of the formation of the ANC on 8 January 1912.
The mass rally will be preceded by a function on the evening of Saturday, 10 January in the Ethekwini City Hall (Durban), at which ANC President Thabo Mbeki will present the ANC's 2004 election manifesto to invited guests and the media.
The timing of the launch is particularly significant, since the ANC manifesto will outline the organisation's programme to take forward the vision of national liberation which motivated the ANC's founders over nine decades ago.
While we have made enormous progress towards this vision over the last ten years of democracy, this manifesto will outline the challenges and tasks that still remain - and the organisation's programme to meet these challenges.
The manifesto is the result of an extensive process of discussion and review within the ANC and among its alliance partners, and which has included broad consultation and discussion with a range of social sectors and organisations.
The election will take place at an important moment in South Africa's history, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of democracy.
It will be an opportunity to celebrate our freedom, to evaluate the progress we have made, and to focus attention on the challenges that lie ahead.
The election takes place in the context of a democracy that has developed and matured remarkably over the last decade. It takes place in a country that has achieved a level of political and economic stability that seemed impossible just ten years ago.
But the challenges facing the country remain daunting. In approaching this election we will therefore need to ensure that all South Africans are part of deciding how the country should best respond to these challenges.
The ANC will therefore engage in a massive mobilisation programme ahead of the final registration weekend on 24-25 January to ensure all South Africans of voting age are registered and able to participate in the election.
The national launch of the campaign will be followed on 18 January with campaign launches in each of the provinces.
Further details of the events and media opportunities will be made available in the first week of January, and will include a pre-launch media briefing.
All media wishing to attend either of these launch events are requested to apply for accreditation. Applications can be made online at:
www.anc.org.za/elections/2004/media_form.html
Please note that accreditation will only be given to bona fide members of the media. The deadline for the submission of accreditation applications is Monday, 5 January 2004.
More info:
Smuts Ngonyama 082 569 2061
Steyn Speed 082 572 7304