Hands off ANC hands off
The SACP in the Western Cape notes with concern, the recent tabloid-style publications contained in some of the Sunday papers (1 February 2015). Both the City Press and Sunday Times appear to have apparently fallen into the DA's fortress of propaganda to launch its campaign towards 2016 local government election. It is not coincidental that they have handpicked the leader of the ANC Comrade Marius Fransman in order to hurt the credibility of the ANC. This is consistent with the attack towards the last general election which targeted the ANC President with the effect of harming the ANC.
How convenient it is that these specific print media houses populate the pages of their respective papers with line-after-line of anti-ANC and anti-Alliance rhetoric, always before elections, yet any and every attempt to highlight objective realities in the political and economic landscape of the Western Cape results in a biased ANC bashing and DA and Provincial Government praise-singing piece.
It is therefore not surprising that these newspapers have previously ignored the blunders and failures of the DA in the province. The sensationalism published over the weekend in what we view as an attack on the ANC is also indicative of desperate politicking from the Provincial leader of the DA in the Province, Ivan Meyer. Meyer has on a previous occasion come out fast and strong in support of condemning these paper-thin here-say arguments.
Whilst we condemn and dismiss this cheap political ploy from external opponents as well as detractors, the SACP reiterates its standpoint that certain media houses are being manipulated to ensure that the ANC is used as cannon fodder for paper sales as well as to distract communities from the massive and ongoing governance failures of the DA. In the ultimate analysis those newspapers become part and parcel of the opposition, directly or indirectly.
Perhaps these media-houses should publish a spread on the massive internal power struggles of the DA in the Province, that the Provincial top spot is being heavily contested, and that these palace rivalries in the DA are race-based and have continuously distracted DA politicians from their job of governance to the detriment of all in the province, including their much cherished constituency. Yet the publications over the weekend highlighted fallacies and here-say arguments, better suited in a gossip column.
The SACP in the province views embedded journalism with contempt. The SACP's view of certain print media houses serving the interests of the political and economic elite in this province is becoming more-and-more apparent.
As the party in the province we stand side-by-side with the ANC in condemning this cheap ploy. We also wish to ensure petty-politicking desists from all quarters and not distract our Alliance from the revolutionary task of continuous, disciplined and honest activism in all of our working class communities. At every stage, the SACP in the province will identify, condemn and expel this political mischief for what it is.
We further urge members of our Alliance to ignore this smear campaign and remain focused on the task at hand of going back to basics.
Statement issued by Masonwabe Sokoyi, SACP Western Cape Provincial Spokesperson, February 4 2015
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