ANC MEDIA STATEMENT ON LIST PROCESSES, CANDIDATES' TRAINING AND ELECTION CAMPAIGN
With the African National Congress (ANC) campaign in preparation for the upcoming local government elections in full swing, today (17 March 2011) we are happy to officially launch the first of our weekly media briefings in the build up to the 2011 local government elections.
Following the National Executive Committee (NEC) and National List Committee (NLC) directive to the province of the Eastern Cape to redo and finalise OR Tambo local lists as well as the North West to redo and finalise 35 branches in the province, the African National Congress (ANC) is today happy to announce that the two provinces yesterday met the NEC deadline of finalising their lists. The concern to the national leadership on the two provinces stemmed from objections lodged by our members and branches but also came as a result of non adherence to national list guidelines.
Yesterday, the NLC also visited the two provinces to assure itself that the processes undertaken were in keeping with our national list guidelines. Leaders representing the two provinces will appear before a special sitting of the National Working Committee (NWC) tomorrow (18 March 2011) to report on the work that has been done to remedy irregularities that were in their earlier submissions.
The special NWC - if satisfied that all national list guideline stipulations have been met by the two provinces, will then approve these lists as mandated by the last NEC sitting. The approval by the special NWC of the outstanding lists from the two provinces, will make the ANC ready to submit its lists of candidates for the 2011 local elections to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) long before the submission date of 25 March 2011.
Court cases that seek to challenge the ANC list conferences in the Alfred Nzo and Buffalo City regions of the Eastern Cape are being defended by our legal teams. We are very confident that we will emerge victorious in this instance as we did in the litigation matter brought against us in the Amathole region. It is our view that the ANC can make a submission of its candidates to the IEC, even in relation to these two regions, pending findings by the court of law. What we find utterly disturbing is for individuals to make use of the courts not only to subvert ANC internal democracy but also to force the ANC to make them its candidates.
We are also extremely excited to announce that training for over 10 000 of our candidates in the upcoming local government elections will commence from Saturday (19 March 2011) to Monday (21 March 2011). The training will be held in all the 53 regions of the nine provinces, with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal, which is finishing, it's training tomorrow. After this, our candidates - old and new, men and women - will have fully grasped and internalised what the ANC expects of them as the organisation's possible public representatives at local level.
With our campaign having started in earnest at branch level with some provinces having launched our Manifesto and branches engaging in door-to-door visits to publicise the Manifesto, we are happy to announce that ANC National Chairperson Baleka Mbete will on Saturday (19 March 2011) go on door-to-door at Siyathemba township in Balfour, Mpumalanga from 11am. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will also engage communities during the ANC door-to-door campaign in Soshanguve in Tshwane on Saturday from 11am to 2pm.
This Saturday, President Jacob Zuma will be unveiling the tombstones of uMntwana uMcwayizeni kaSolomon kaDinizulu and iNdlovukazi Phikisile kaDinizulu Seme at eMahhashini, kwaNongoma from 8am.
Prince Mncwayizeni kaSolomon kaDinuzulu was a key player in South African politics and the first KwaZulu Royal Heir to openly support the ANC and the struggle against apartheid. At the time of his passing he was a member of South Africa's first democratically elected parliament representing the ANC.
Princess Phikisile Heriet kaDinizulu Seme was the first princess of King Dinizulu kaCetshwayo. She was married to Dr Pixley kaIsaka Seme - one of the founders of the ANC and President of the ANC from 1930 to 1936.
After the unveiling of the tombstones and family proceedings, President Zuma will address a mini rally on the ANC 2011 Manifesto at the same precinct of eMahhashini, kwaNongoma. We are more than convinced that together we can build better communities.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, African National Congress national spokesperson, March 17 2011
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