April 2009
Vote ANC for the future of your city, province and country Fellow residents
O
n April 22, 2009 our country goes to the polls to vote in the fourth democratic elections. It is indeed a momentous moment for all South Africans as it is a celebration of our democracy and our quest of building a better life for all South Africans. Today, despite our bitter and fractured past, South Africa is one of the most peaceful countries in the world. South Africans of all races and creeds are working together to ensure a better future for our children, a future of peace and hope. The right to vote in free and democratic elections is a right that cannot be taken lightly, and, voters undoubtedly have many issues to deliberate over before casting their votes. In essence voters must focus on two questions: What has been achieved thus far and what remains to be achieved from here onwards? We cannot underestimate the impact that decades of apartheid and international isolation, has had on our country and its econ-
omy. Yet today, South Africa is a peaceful and economicallyrobust African country. Those who predicted and expected our economy would flounder, have been proven wrong. Today our economy is one of the best-managed in the world. So much so that our country has been relatively insulated from the global economic meltdown affecting countries around the world. The ANC led government had the vision and foresight to implement strict credit control and fiscal regulatory measures, that today has protected our financial institutions and our citizens from the catastrophic global economic crisis. Our banks are safe. The pension and retirement funds belonging to our workers are safe. In terms of education, healthcare and housing, the ANC government has made huge strides in eradicating backlogs and delivering quality services to our citizens. Basic human requirements such as housing, access to water, electricity and sanitation are being provided to more and more South Africans. In terms of social welfare,
the ANC-led government has consistently widened the welfare safety net, providing a lifeline to the elderly, the disabled and frail, to single mothers and to children. This year social welfare grants have increased to R1010-00; The child support grant has increased to R230 per child; The ANC is painfully aware that crime levels are unacceptably high. The ANC election manifesto clearly spells out government’s determination to deal harshly with those that abuse the law and spread fear and anxiety amongst our people. Within the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC has been at the forefront of creating a calm and peaceful province. Since 2004 the province has shed its once tarnished image and is today considered an international destination of choice for both tourists and investors. Investments in the Dube Trade Port, new King Shaka International Airport, the Moses Mabhida Stadium, the Harry Gwala Stadium, improvement to our road and transportation networks, roll-out of housing,
water and sanitation provision, all speaks highly of a government committed to creating a better life for all citizens. Residents in Pietermaritzburg will remember very clearly that it was the ANC that led a motion in 2002 for the city to be unequivocally declared the capital of the province. The IFP rejected this motion, and, the DA who were the IFP’s coalition junior partners, were powerless to do anything about it. When the ANC won the 2004 election it declared Pietermaritzburg the sole capital of the province. The outcome of the ANC’s decision to declare Pietermariztburg the provincial capital is plain for everyone to see. The city’s economy boomed. 1000s of government workers relocated here. The property market lifted. Business gained from downstream access to government’s huge spend. 100s of additional jobs were created. City retailers enjoyed unprecedented growth in sales prompting expansions and new developments. Today the IFP has categorically confirmed that, should it
gain control of the province, it intends re-opening the issue of the capital, as it believes Ulundi has a rightful claim to the title. We urge city voters to ignore the constant smear campaigns against the ANC and remember that it was the ANC that delivered capital status to Pietermaritzburg. It was the ANC that relocated all government departments to Pietermaritzburg creating jobs and boosting the local economy. As was said earlier, the right to vote in free and democratic elections is a right that cannot be taken lightly, and, voters undoubtedly have many issues to deliberate over before casting their votes. In under just two decades the ANC has transformed our country into a vibrant democracy, an economic powerhouse with a growing economy. There is peace and harmony amongst all our people. Vote ANC. Together we can create a better life for all our people.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
ANC ready to govern for another term T
he ANC election campaign is entering its final phase. This election is essentially about what party has the best programme and the means to improve people’s lives. This year’s election is indeed a true celebration of our democracy. The election appears to have energised the electorate in much the same way as it did in 1994. In our interaction with people, and in new registration figures, it is clear that there is a great deal of interest in this election, and we can expect a high voter turnout. Other parties have tried very hard to make this election about
individuals and personalities. But voters are interested in issues such as jobs, houses, safer streets and an end to corruption. In the last two months of campaigning, we have established that the support for the ANC among South Africans is as big and as enthusiastic as ever and people recognise the ANC government’s achievements of the last 15 years, and feel they are part of the progress that has been made. They are forthright about the problems they still face on a daily basis. These include problems of access to basic services, crime, poverty, unemployment,
corruption and lack of accountability among public representatives and public servants. People expect the ANC to address these problems. People sometimes complain bitterly to the ANC about what has not yet been done, and the
shortcomings and mistakes of government, because they know that the ANC will respond to them. They feel entitled to level criticism at the ANC, but are fiercely protective of the movement when other parties try to do so. They are prepared to work with the ANC to achieve the kind of lives they want. The transition to a new government will be smooth. The ANC’s Transition Management Team has been paying attention to how this will be achieved, and how to make the national executive of government more efficient and effective. We are running a successful election campaign. Our mes-
sage is getting across to the electorate and we are confident that they will return the ANC to power with an overwhelming majority. Once the election is over, and there is a new government with a decisive mandate in place, there will be an opportunity for all South Africans - regardless of who the voted for - to contribute to the process of improving the lives of all. Working together we can do more. (This is the extract from address by ANC President Jacob Zuma to breakfast meeting of South African Institute of Race Relations)
ANC determined to tackle poor performance A
NC President Jacob Zuma has repeated his warning that the ANC would not tolerate public servants who are lazy and incapable of executing their duty as it hampers service delivery. “The ANC would institute a monitoring department based in The Presidency to ensure that performance is assessed from the President to the municipal councillor. This will ensure that there is accountability from everyone entrusted with public funds,” he said. Zuma said fighting crime, cor-
ruption and the causes of crime was a priority of the ANC government in the next five years. Leaders found to be involved in corruption, nepotism, and inability to spend their budgets will also be asked to leave. The ANC will actively combat serious and violent crime by being tougher on criminals and organised syndicates. In this respect the ANC will increase the capacity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) through recruitment, rigorous training, better remuneration, equipping and increasing the capacity of especially the detective services, forensics, prosecutions, judicial services and crime intelligence.
Zuma said the ANC would step up measures in the fight against corruption within society, the state and private sector, including measures to ensure politicians do not tamper with the adjudication of tenders. “Measures will also be taken to ensure transparent process of the tendering system as well as ensuring much stronger accountability of the public servants involved in tendering process,” he said. Zuma said no learner would be allowed to loiter on streets during school hours. He said education was one of the main priorities in the ANC manifesto. The ANC is working towards
free and compulsory education for all children. As an immediate step, the ANC will ensure that at least 60% of schools are no-fee schools. “The ANC will ensure that South Africa is completely liberated from illiteracy by 2014 through our mass literacy campaign,” he said. Zuma said the ANC was fully behind the judiciary and respected its independence. This had been illustrated by the manner that the case against him had been handled, within the confines of the law and its institutions.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
Zuma is the right man at the right time to lead the ANC and South Africa By Dr Zweli Mkhize Provincial Chairperson of the ANC
W
e often read with surprise and disappointment the articles expressing doubt about the ANC’s suitability to lead the country because it elected Zuma as a leader; a matter that has received extensive discussions in party structures and widely debated. Contrary to damning media reports of the Polokwane conference, the decision to elect Zuma for President was a sober one. The debate had gone on informally for over ten years. It was started at the time when the ANC was discussing the post-Mandela leadership in 1997. There was careful thinking which resulted in the decision that Mbeki would succeed Madiba and after two terms Zuma would take over. The decision was based on the fact that the two were amongst most experienced and respected strategists, who had served together since the days of OR Tambo. Mbeki was primarily preferred as he would be able to focus on issues of transformation of the state machinery, because of his technical skills which we believed the country needed at the time. Zuma was elected to deputise and strengthen Mbeki’s leadership collective because of his excellent human relations, listening skills and capacity to unify. It was felt that, inevitably, Zuma’s leadership would be needed to refocus attention to the vision of the ANC to build a compassionate and caring society. His passion for education, rural development, fighting poverty and crime is legendary. It was felt that Zuma would further enhance the consultative character of our organisation once the transformation agenda was in place after Mbeki. or many people Zuma represents the triumph of the human spirit of perseverance by virtue of the fact that he rose from the depth of grinding rural poverty to attain the level of national and international prominence as a confident yet self taught person. To some, this is a source of inspiration especially for the respect he commands in the continent and abroad. The recent visits to international investor forums have shown the high level of faith and his acceptability as a leader. Zuma may turn out to be one of the finest Presidents in the country. His rise to the top echelons of power has not erased Zuma’s touch with the ordinary people. No wonder so many feel well represented by him and do not share the skepticism often expressed in public discourse. Those who know him well will attest that Zuma’s reputation is that of an honest and caring person and a committed leader who will go out of his way to help those less fortunate than himself. Despite the myriad of news reports condemning Zuma, many people have refused to buy into this image of corruption as it does not accord with their experience of the man. People who have only known about Zuma from the media do not understand how a man described in such horrible terms can be considered for such a high post. Yet those who know him do not accept that such a description refers to the leader they know so well. Like many leaders Zuma is fallible. The saying goes
humanum est errare (to err is human). Any perceived weaknesses are outweighed by his mature leadership style and the stability and spirit of friendship the country will enjoy under his leadership. His strength is his humility and welcoming style that inspires willingness to contribute to the positive achievement for the good of our country. The role of the leadership collective is to support the individual leader and enhance the best qualities. South Africa was eternally blessed to have a leader like our beloved Madiba. We must also face up to the reality that there will only be one Madiba. Increasingly, thereafter our leaders will become more and more ordinary. Our task is to choose leaders and support them in their quest to fulfill the task that we elected them for. Prior to the Polokwane conference, branches and delegates debated about and evaluated many of the talented leaders of the ANC in the context of who will best lead our organisation and our country during this time – they said Zuma is that person. When our members decided that Zuma will be Presidential candidate everything about him (both negative and positive) was known. Electing Zuma was a conscious decision. As an expression of a democratic process it has to be respected. The mark of true democrats is to accept the due processes of democracy and not change goal posts if they dislike the outcome.
It is possible that this case may never have proceeded if the NPA had opened the avenue for representations. It may have become apparent much earlier, that no crime had been committed. That Shaik was found guilty is no confirmation that Zuma is similarly guilty simply because his name was mentioned in court. He could not be found guilty without being party to court proceedings. Repetition of allegations against Zuma in the media has created a false sense of guilt in the mind of the public. olitical parties opposed to the NPA considering Zuma’s submissions are themselves bordering on interfering in the institutions of justice. Why would the NPA be right to take Zuma to court and be wrong to exercise a provision specified in the constitution? Extensive use of media by the state institutions has resulted in prejudice against Zuma by people who profess to respect the rule of law. It was strange that during this ordeal, the main issue that was debated was Zuma’s suitability for Presidency, confirming the information in ANC circles that the investigations were used to frustrate his election to Presidency. This is the reason why the contestations in the last ANC conference have been so fierce. The issues in this case were more political than legal. When Zuma was accused of corruption in the Arms Procurement process, it is not equally stated that he was not party to the arms deal negotiation, nor was the Minister of Defence ever asked to account or resign for presiding over the process. Very little is said of the chairperson of the entire process even though it was known that it was the President who authored the letter that was extensively highlighted in the Shaik trial. The ANC has not shifted from its values of clean governance, anti-corruption, respect for the independence of the judiciary and presumption of innocence. e need closure of this matter that has traumatized and divided society. We may never agree on what the real truth is, so we must accept the responsible organs and follow due processes of law. When this ordeal is over many will realize that we allowed ourselves to be swayed by repeated publication of untested allegations; hence we tacitly endorsed the persecution of an individual simply because the trial by public media was better presented than the case of his innocence. In years to come all the weaknesses causing public excitement will fade and pale to insignificance. Posterity will look back at the first twenty years of our young democracy with pride and marvel at the contribution made by the finest sons of Africa who laid the foundation for this great nation. Each will have their footprints and legacy recorded: · Madiba, the father of our rainbow nation, peace and reconciliation; · Mbeki for the transformation of the state institutions and advocate of the African agenda; · Motlanthe who managed the interregnum and allowed the nation to heal; and · Zuma who rekindled our hope for a better future; laying the foundation for us to refocus on the attainment of a truly non-racial and prosperous democratic dispensation.
P
W
F
Z
uma has been investigated for nine years, during which he has proclaimed his innocence. He has never missed a day in court since he was charged in 2005. It was the NPA’s inability to proceed with prosecution that led the case being thrown out of court by Judge Msimang. When his offices were raided by Scorpions, together with his lawyers, they successfully challenged the Scorpions in court, which declared the searches to be unlawful. It was the NPA that appealed. It is strange that each time the NPA and Scorpions lose a case against Zuma it is acceptable to take matters to a higher court. Yet if Zuma did the same, he is accused of delaying court appearance. Zuma has no fear of the processes of justice. He has always used them to assert his rights to a fair trial. The objection by Zuma to the charges a week after his election as President of ANC resulted in Judge Nicholson finding in Zuma’s favour. It was the NPA that appealed.
Barbara Hogan
Jacob Zuma
Trevor Manuel
Sibusiso Ndebele
Dr. Zweli Mkhize
Enver Surty
Roy Padayachie
Willis Mchunu
Ina Cronjé
Senzo Mchunu
Yunus Carrim
A BLUEPRINT FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL
F
or over 97 years, the ANC has led the struggle to bring about a South Africa that belongs to all our people, black and white. We moved on to embrace the unity of all South Africans irrespective of their race, culture or religion. It is this unity that is a source of our strength and has inspired many who sacrificed their lives so that we can attain our freedom. Fifteen years into our democracy, together we have achieved much in building a new society, uniting all of our people, expanding opportunities that the new freedom brought to our people, reducing poverty and improving the quality of life of millions of South Africans. Much of the economic and social devastation of apartheid and its scars are still with us. Our common struggle to build a better South Africa continues. In December 2007, the ANC met in Polokwane, and delegates brought messages from South Africans, from different cities, towns and rural areas about the problems of our people: high unemployment, poverty, deepening inequality and challenges of service delivery. We heard and shared experiences about many municipalities, schools, hospitals and government offices not functioning properly. The ANC agreed on major measures to overcome these challenges. In the period ahead South Africa will need a government with both experience and politi-
cal will, a government that fully understands what needs to be done to address our apartheid past, a government that puts people first (batho pele) and builds a participatory democracy. The ANC, working together with the people, can form such a government. TOGETHER WE HAVE ACHIEVED MUCH Working together, South Africans have achieved much in the first 15 years of democracy. We brought apartheid to an end. We set out to re-build and develop our country. It has been 15 years of nation building, reconciliation and democratisation. We have built the foundation of a new society by enshrining the basic human and democratic rights of all in the country’s constitution; building the institutions of our democracy and ensured citizen’s participation in decisionmaking processes that affected their lives. ANC policies have pushed back the frontiers of poverty. In 1996, only 3 million people, had access to social grants. Today 12.5 million receive social grants. In 1996, only 34,000 children had access to social grants. Today nearly 8 million children younger than 14 years, receive social grants. Created jobs at a faster rate and provided more economic opportunities Sound management of the
economy and better use of national resources has seen the economy grow every year since 1994. Investment has increased as a share of Gross Domestic Product from 15% in 2002 to 22% in 2008. In recent years the economy has for the first time been creating jobs faster than the rate at which new people have entered the job market. On average half a million new jobs have been added to the economy every year since 2004, reducing Access to education and health care for millions more In our primary and secondary schooling we are just a few years away from achieving 100% participation by all our children. The participation of girls is one of the highest in the world. About 600,000 children attend crèches and pre-schools. The matriculation pass rate has risen from 58% in 1994 to 65% in 2007. Overcrowding in classrooms has been reduced - by 2006 there was one teacher for every 32 learners, an improvement from one teacher for 43 learners that we inherited in 1996. OUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS The ANC has identified five priority areas for the next five years: · creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods · education · health · rural development, food se-
curity and land reform the fight against crime and corruption. These priorities will be tackled with all our means at our disposal - the resources of government, the vision of the Freedom Charter and the energy and commitment of our people. Our priorities will specifically target the needs of the youth, women, workers, the rural poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Building on the economic achievements of the last 15 years, we will use various measures to build and accelerate a sustainable, equitable and inclusive economic growth path to address these five priorities. Our economic and social programmes will work together to ensure they support each other. The developmental state will play a central and strategic role in the economy. We will ensure a more effective government; improve the coordination and planning efforts of the developmental state by means of a planning entity to ensure faster change. A review of the structure of government will be undertaken, to ensure effective service delivery. An important aspect of a successful developmental state is investment in public sector workers and in turn our people expect that they execute the tasks with which they have been entrusted. This means that the right and adequate numbers of personnel should be placed in ·
the correct positions, and where this is not the case, government should have the capacity to implement corrective measures, either through training or redeployment where warranted. CONCLUSION Our country does need change in the way government relates to our people and in the delivery of services. We are committed to a service delivery culture that will put every elected official and public servant to work for our people, and ensure accountability to our people. We will continue to develop social partnerships and work with every citizen. We will manage our economy in a manner that ensures that South Africa continues to grow, that all our people benefit from that growth and that we create decent work for the unemployed, for workers, for young persons, for women and for the rural poor. We will remain in touch with our people and listen to their needs. We respect the rule of Law, human rights and we will defend the Constitution and uphold our multi-party democracy. We have achieved much in the last 15 years, but we are committed to do more. Working together we can do more! A vote for the ANC is vote for a better life for all.
A STRONG FOUNDATION TO BUILD A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL Nelson Mandela
Moses Mabhida
Harry Gwala
Dr Chota Motala
A.S. Chetty
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE