ANC WILL FOCUS ON LOCAL ISSUES IN ELECTION CAMPAIGN

JOHANNESBURG Sept 20 Sapa

The African National Congress on Wednesday said it would build
its local government election campaign around local candidates and
issues facing their communities.

ANC elections committee chairman Saki Macozoma told a media
briefing in Johannesburg the party would campaign in more than 600
communities countrywide. Election teams had been set up in all 600
areas.

"People in the different wards need to know who they are voting
for," Macozoma said. "Each local area will focus on issues of
importance in that community."

It would, however, be foolish of the ANC not to utilise the
impact Mandela had in the country at the moment.

The ANC had launched local people's forums to plan action on
local issues and to introduce candidates to communities.

They would inform communities about issues, identify
priorities, involve communities in decision-making and provide the
means to introduce candidates.

ANC elections briefing unit head Carl Niehaus said the ANC was
disappointed the Independent Broadcasting Authority had banned
political advertising on radio.

"This discriminates against the vast majority of voters who do
not have access to newspapers or are not literate," he said. "We
will have to rely on our own media in the form of posters,
pamphlets, billboards and stickers to reach voters."

An ANC election newspaper would be published within the next
fortnight.