WELKOM Sept 4 Sapa

RESIDENTS OF FREE STATE TOWN THREATEN ELECTIONS BOYCOTT

Residents of Moakeng near Kroonstad in the Free State have
threatened to boycott November's local government elections in
protest against the selection of candidates for the African
National Congress's local proportional representation list.

A petition of 5000 signatures calling for the removal of the 12
Maokeng candidates from the list and a review of the selection
process was sent to the office of premier Patrick Lekota.

Jacob Tumisi, a spokesman for the Concern Group of Maokeng and
a member of the South African National Civic Organisation's local
executive, claimed organisations in the ANC-led electoral alliance
were not equally represented at the Maokeng list conference last
month.

He said the Maokeng list committee had allocated 60 delegates
to the ANC, 40 to SANCO, 10 to the ANC Women's League, 10 to the
ANC Youth League and 10 to the Congress of South African Trade
Unions.

"As we understand it, according to the guidelines of the
national list committee, each member of the electoral alliance
should have equal representation at the list conference," Tumisi
said.

SANCO had attended the list conference to put forward its
objections but had refused to take part in the election of
candidates.

Tumisi said Maokeng residents rejected the candidates selected
at the conference as they had wronged the community.

"We as SANCO are not against the list but we represent the
community and people standing for election should stand for the
community," he said.

SANCO regional co-ordinator Johannes Melani said the guidelines
of the national list committee were open for interpretation and the
situation differed from town to town.

ANC provincial spokesman Joe Khambule said the call by the
Concern Group was a serious cause for concern.

The same candidates selection procedure was followed throughout
the Free State, he said, appealing to the Concern Group to "accept
the verdict of democracy".