''String of scandals hammer ANC's image''

[IamCanadian]

This government seems the same as all other african government: in it for their own enrichment and damn the rest.



Sickening.

Well said.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[IamCanadian]

So what if I am gay? Since when is being gay tantamount to being an idiot? You really are the worse kind of troll.

Ha ha ha. Nice one!

But I must say that I thought I had the title of worst troll.

 

[bekdik]

I've lost track. Where are all the ex Nat MP's now?

 

[Leitmotif]

I've lost track. Where are all the ex Nat MP's now?

Hiding. Or looking for foot-friendly soap.

 

[bekdik]

Hiding. Or looking for foot-friendly soap.

I thought that some of them had joined the ANC, but I must have been wrong...

 

[kilo39]

Umm, no. The DA only changed their name when they allied themselves with the Nats in 2000 (check it). They were the DP from about 1989, and before that the PFP.

Um no. Other way around (from your link.) (Lost nats were allowed to join the DA.)

 

[chiskop]

Sure, perhaps my wording was misleading. The point that I wanted to make was that the DP/DA name change occurred because of the alliance with the new nat s - and not out of any embarrassment over having being involved in the previous parliament*.


*And just to clarify further, I do not believe that they need to be ashamed of their participation in parliament before 1994.

 

[xtermin8or]

Letter from the President 24/11/06
via email

WHAT THE MEDIA SAYS

Trying to prove the people wrong... again

An article that appeared in the local media this week, originating from the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency and distributed by the South African Press Association (SAPA), revives the wearily familiar theme of the supposed decline of popular support for the ANC.

Under the headline 'String of scandals hammers ANC image', the article
begins: "An unprecedented string of scandals has led to the haemorrhaging of support for South Africa's ruling African National Congress which can only be reversed with a purge of the leadership, according to analysts."

"With its former chief whip in prison, his successor accused of sexual harassment and deputy president under a cloud after his financial advisor was jailed, the party which has dominated power since the end of apartheid appears intent on dragging itself through the mud on a weekly basis."

Interestingly, not a single fact, figure or even opinion poll finding is put forward to support the dramatic claim that the ANC is losing support at a rapid rate. The sole sources of this information are three 'analysts' -Frederick van Zyl Slabbert, Aubrey Matshiqi and Xolela Mangcu.
And to be fair to these commentators, not one of them is quoted as saying that the ANC has lost support. Only one says that voters who had previously backed the ANC "may look elsewhere".

So where do the news agencies get their information? Indeed, where do so many media institutions get their stories about South Africans' attitudes to the ANC?

Barely nine months ago, South Africa held its third local government elections under a democratic dispensation. In the build-up to those elections, many media institutions and commentators adopted a similar stance to this week's report.

An article appeared on the front page of the Sunday Times on 19 February
2006 with the headline: 'Voters desert ANC over delivery'. The first paragraph read: "Voters in South Africa's six major urban areas will send a strong signal of discontent over service delivery in next month's local government election, reducing the ANC's majority but keeping it in power."

In the same week the Mail & Guardian reported that "the ruling party's monolithic hold on power is showing distinct cracks" and "the party has lost the unquestioning struggle loyalty and the patience of its grassroots".
Putting aside the exaggerated language and shallow understanding of why people vote for the ANC, the article's meaning is plain: the ANC is losing support.

The situation was so bad, the article claimed, that ANC President Thabo Mbeki "has launched an unprecedented charm offensive, criss-crossing the country in the past week in a bid to bolster ANC support in areas where it is under threat... And in another unprecedented step, Mbeki is giving a series of interviews to the Sunday press".

What the article conveniently ignored was that this was exactly the same kind of "unprecedented" activity that had formed part of the ANC campaign in the previous election, and the one before that, and the one before that.

Nevertheless, these articles were typical of the general tone of reporting that preceded the elections. There was no doubt in the minds of the media and commentators that the ANC was in for an electoral hiding. Of course, the voters thought differently.

As it happened, the ANC not only increased its share of the vote. It also increased the absolute number of people who voted for it compared to the previous local government election.

In each of the six metros where the Sunday Times predicted a "strong signal of discontent", support for the ANC actually grew. The only two cities where the ANC lost support was Buffalo City and Mangaung, where the actual number of votes received by the ANC dropped by 5% and 1% respectively.

Even when the results were in, many media institutions had trouble shedding their conviction that the ANC was losing support. Some went further, insulting and belittling those who had voted for the ANC.

The Business Day of 4 March 2006 said: "The ruling ANC, hamstrung by growing disaffection from the poor underclass that is its voting fodder, has nonetheless emerged as the undisputed victor in this week's local government elections."

The ANC has consistently refused to take its support for granted. It has always worked hard to respond to the needs of the people, and to take seriously the views and criticisms of communities. It knows that a mandate from the people is a profound responsibility that demands progress, commitment and accountability.

This does not however excuse the great disservice that journalists are doing to their readers by claiming political shifts were there are none, or by projecting their prejudices and preconceptions onto the South African electorate.

What they fail to recognise is that the ANC remains popular because it does not allow itself to be deflected from its task of building a better life for all. Amid the media furore that accompanies the "scandals" cited in the report, the ANC remains focused on its key tasks. It also stands by its principled position that any allegations of misconduct be subject to the appropriate legal or disciplinary process.

The ANC does not rush to judgement on individuals. Nor does it accept that anyone is above the law. It has therefore been consistent in its approach to dealing with such allegations, reinforcing respect for the rule of law and for the principles of common justice.

Contrary to what the article suggests, that the ANC is intent "on dragging itself through the mud on a weekly basis", the energies of the organisation have been focused on the challenges of effective governance and organisational growth.

In addition to the boost that the local government elections gave to the process of local development, the ANC-led government has spent the past year implementing a programme that is making a tangible difference to the lives of South Africans, particularly the poor. Government briefings over the last two weeks, together with the economic overview presented in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, confirm that progress is being made in realising the mandate given to the ANC.

At the same time, the ANC has been working hard to revitalise its branch structures and energise its membership. Although many challenges exist, the membership of the ANC is growing and its engagement with communities is improving. The Imvuselelo Campaign, launched in various provinces earlier in the year, has been yielding positive results for the political life of the ANC branch.

There still remains much work to do, both in strengthening the ANC's organisational capacity and in harnessing all sectors of society in a people's contract to create work and fight poverty. In tackling these tasks, the ANC will not be distracted by those who are determined to do everything they can to prove the South African people wrong.

 

[Angelo]

Well said Mr President.

 

[kilo39]

So, the President's office actually 'reads' the newspapers? Could have fooled me. The news must be good news because 18000 south africans are still being murdered and thousands more raped but the song remains the same. Maybe they are not reading the same newspapers as the rest of us. Should tell Thabo exactly which country we live in 'cause he seems to get them mixed up. Oh rosy, rosy.

Uncertainty is in the air after 18 months of social unrest over non-delivery and corruption, combined with internal ANC dissent that has resulted in its own members now standing as independents in a number of key councils.
-
Thrown into the uncertainty are a few volatile "no-go areas" for campaigning, such as Khutsong in Merafong on the West Rand, and Matatiele on the Eastern Cape/KwaZulu-Natal border. These areas are challenging their new status after the government decided to abolish cross-boundary municipalities.

Now. I wonder where all those extra voters came from?

Sickening propaganda rhetoric. Doesn't the prez have anything better to do. Where is he today?

Ooh ya, and the glad-handing only happens at election time. The rest of the time the country can just STFU.

And lets not forget with all these EXTRA voters anc still lost CT. Boohoo, fight, fight, fight.

Ya, so confident Loose Bolt Irwin had to lie on the eve of an election.

Sickening. PUKE.

ANC landslide is less certain this time Feb 26 06

 

[Vrotappel]

Letter from the President 24/11/06
via email

Dear Prez should wake up - It appears as if he is living in a world of his own. Oh yeah and plus minus 20 million of his stupid supporters. Whilst South Africa is burning around them they are more concerned with Corruption, Stealing, Bribery, Sexual harassment, drafting racist legislation, enriching themselves, etc.

xtermin8or and Angelo why are you guys so blind?

 

[IamCanadian]

xtermin8or and Angelo why are you guys so blind?

Been trying to figure that out myself.

They will come out of the ether some day.

 

[kilo39]

At the same time, the ANC has been working hard to revitalise its branch structures and energise its membership. Although many challenges exist, the membership of the ANC is growing and its engagement with communities is improving. The Imvuselelo Campaign, launched in various provinces earlier in the year, has been yielding positive results for the political life of the ANC branch.

12 years later "the engagement with communities is improving."

There was no previous engagement? 12 years later they are now concerned about improving relations with communities?

I wonder why?