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ANC scheming on Zille - report
Andisiwe Makinana
May 20 2009 at 12:24PM
May 20 2009 at 12:24PM
Plans to constantly hassle new premier Helen Zille with issues across the province - in a bid to force her to take her eye off the ball - have been hatched by the opposition ANC.
This has emerged from a leaked report, in the possession of the Cape Argus, agreed to by the party at its post-election provincial lekgotla at the weekend.
The plan, according to the report, is to put Zille on the defensive constantly, spreading her widely and thinly across the Western Cape to weaken her. This way, the ANC would attempt to set the agenda on issues in the province.
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The ANC lost the control of the province to the DA last month, and met at the weekend to assess its strengths and weaknesses, and to plot a way forward.
| 'This will spread her widely and thinly across the province' |
Apparently blaming everyone, including the party's national leadership for losing the Western Cape, that report cites issues such as the Erasmus Commission, the Somerset Hospital tender controversy, the Sea Point Pavilion controversy, and contracts in Transport and Public Works for threatening the elections campaign here.
The report, presented by provincial secretary Sipho Kroma, said that by the middle of last year it had become clear that proceeding "without effecting any change", would result in embarrassment to the ANC in the elections campaign.
Kroma said that while the national working committee replaced Rasool last July, it failed to capitalise on that "key moment" by not explaining the reasons for his sacking to voters.
In the report detailing the plan to hobble Zille, the ANC claimed that the DA remained "deeply divided", with strong internal opposition to the new premier.
It planned to target Zille's leadership style, which it described as concentrating all power around herself, and the micro-management of processes. The ANC said this style of leadership opened an opportunity for "us" to force Zille to over-commit herself on issues.
"This will spread her widely and thinly across the province, and weaken her ability to deal with all issues," the report said.
Asked to comment, Kroma confirmed that the ANC planned to become "the voice of the voiceless" in the Western Cape. It planned to raise issues on key areas identified in its election manifesto, making sure these were dealt with.
"We will do everything in our power, using municipalities and the provincial legislature where we are the official opposition," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on May 20, 2009
Showing page 1 of 7 comment pages, 65 total comments
26 Weeks ago Wisdom wrote :
If this is true, then the ANC is not for the people but for power! Who do they think will get hurt the most....the poor! But of course this is not election time so they will only care about service delivery and caring for the poor during the next election campaign
26 Weeks ago Robr wrote :
Eisch, talk about bad losers??? Be careful they dont become so obsessed with dethroning Zille, that they take their eye of the ball completely and lose a few more provinces in the next election!!!!! I dont think the racist that are so intent on taking revenge on Zille have enough brain cells amongst them all to unseat the DA or Helen. get on with making the country a "Better place for ALL" as you promised prior to the elections. Bunch of racist buffoons!!
26 Weeks ago Dave wrote :
The cape argus has consistently portrayed Zille as a victim, so i wouldn't take this seriously. Besides, politicians use this kind of tactics all the time.. so if they can find leaked info from the ANC, they should be able to find it on the DA. And why did they not publish things said about Zuma on facebook. This is just selective reporting!!
26 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
If this report and what it allegedly contains exists,then it is proof of the ANC's view and respect it has for democratic principles. The ANC undid themselves in the WC through non delivery and power mongering. Their time would be better spent strategising how to gain the vote of the people of the WC through service delivery and accountable governance in the provinces they do currently govern.
Remember, together we can do more.
26 Weeks ago MarcE wrote :
The ANC will use their puppet allies to create issues while they themselves distance themselves from any fallout-mainly to "look good" in front of the rest of the world.The ANC's "strategy" is a textbook example of subversion and has been copied from the "creators" (UK & somewhat the US), who have used the very same tactics to overthrow "governments" for hundreds of years. These tactics will also include bussing in hundreds of supporters to the WC, along with appointments to places of high office being given to other ANC puppets (keep an eye on Hlophe).As we have all seen, the ANC will only ever pay lip service in chastising the ANCYL, COSATU et al, but will never ever actually DO ANYTHING that may hinder said puppets from doing what the ANC has instructed them to do ie. sow seeds of dissent and undermine basic principles of morality etc. The ANC doesn't have to do anything good in WC - they just need to make DA look bad.
26 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
If this is true, then the ANC are now showing their true colours. They do not care a fig about democracy, the man in the street ( who has voted them in power) or service delivery. All they want is total control ( at the cost of the man in the street suffering).They should be concentrating on running the country effeciently and to the benefit of all South Africans instead they waste their energy by trying to make plans to destabilise a democratically elected party.If this "leak" is true, then the ANC has shown that they have not matured and are showing gross political intolerance. May this immature behaviour open the eyes of many.
26 Weeks ago JaMan wrote :
To Anonymous claiming this was created by the DA. read the rest of the Article before making such an assumption. It's well known that the ANC can't stand the DA being in the level of power they are in the WC. They will try everything to make sure they undermine her. They should focus on there own provinces and leave the WC alone. They will be out done/out perform in every aspect. I have every confidence that even the pressure being applied by the ANC the DA will perform. It will only made the ANC look inept in all the other provinces.
26 Weeks ago Sunshine wrote :
So, if I am understanding correctly, the ANC KNOWS that Zille is FOR THE PEOPLE AND SERVICE DELIVERY, so they, the ANC, have to devise schemes for her not to do what's in the best interest of the peoplel. It's not about the people,IT'S ABOUT WHO HAS THE POWER, this I guess is what we all know deep down, but because we are human and attached to things like our past and our emotions, we can't see the future.
26 Weeks ago junglebunny wrote :
Wow!! thats what I call democracy!! ANC are a bunch of childish thugs!!! with a "if we can't have it no-one can mentality" usually found in pre-schools and kindergartens. When will theygrow up and start fixing and giving instead of taking and breaking!!
26 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
The Western Cape belongs to all of us, Zille must stop behaving as if she owns the province and she must learn to work with all South Africans regardless of colour, lastly what she did with the appointment of all white male cabinet is a lesson that must be learnt by those coconuts who voted for the DA last election, that should they vote for the DA nationally, they will see for the first time after 1994, a white president with all white cabinet in place, wake stupid coconut and vote for the all races represented in one party the ANC. the ANC done and finished the NP what is the DA after all.
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