'One man, no vote' gets going

16 April 2014 - 02:02 By Olebogeng Molatlhwa and Penwell Dlamini
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The protagonists behind an anti-ANC election campaign claim to have raised their misgivings about the current ANC administration with the ruling party's "internal channels" but realised it was a futile exercise.

Former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and former health deputy minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge yesterday officially launched the Sidikiwe! Vukani! Vote No! campaign at Wits University, with both suggesting that dissenting voices were no longer tolerated in the ANC of Jacob Zuma.

The ANC has dismissed the campaign, saying: "The ANC is further disappointed by the false statement made by Kasrils that he has raised his disgruntlement with the ANC within the structures of the movement, as would have been expected from someone of his stature.

"At no point were such matters raised within the ANC. This behaviour is typical of Kasrils' historical adventurism, ill-discipline and recklessness."

Kasrils and Madlala-Routledge want South Africans not to vote for the ANC or the DA in the May 7 polls but to give their votes to smaller parties.

As a last resort, the Sidikiwe! Vukani! Vote No! campaign asks voters to spoil their ballots as an "acceptable form of protest" if they find none of the parties contesting the elections palatable.

Kasrils also accused Zuma and the ANC head office, Luthuli House, of abusing the intelligence services.

He said he had ordered a review of the country's intelligence services and a report was tabled at the end of his last term in government - but the government had done nothing about it.

"They don't want to know anything about that report because they want the intelligence services to be a tool of Luthuli House and of the president," he said.

Political analyst Mzoxolo Mpolase said it was common to have spoilt ballots during elections and that it was part of democracy.

"It is a democracy. You cannot dictate how a person wants to participate in it. The negative forms of participation are allowed. They are still participation," he said.

But he warned that the protest was "misdirected".

Mpolase said there were two other options for voters.

"Galvanise support for another party and not vote for the ANC, or fight the battles within the ANC."

He said the Vote No! campaign could be said to have been a success if there were a "dramatic" increase in the number of spoiled ballot papers in the May 7 election.

The Independent Electoral Commission said that d uring the 2004 general election 250887 ballots were spoilt. That number declined to 239237 in the 2009 elections and then jumped to 666607 in the 2011 local government elections.

Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape registered the highest number of spoilt ballots in all three elections.

Explaining its mission, the campaign's leaders said: "This offers people the means of sending a strong message, primarily to the ANC but to all political parties, that those in power must listen to and serve the people with humility, honesty and competency.

"Voting tactically - whether it be to vote for one of the smaller parties or by spoiling the ballot - is to actively participate in our democracy."

Madlala-Routledge, who confessed to not having attended an ANC branch meeting since 2009, said the branches now pandered to the whims of party leaders.

"I stopped attending meetings when branches became conveyor belts for leaders. People now convene meetings only during elections," she said.

Madlala-Routledge said citizens could send a strong message to the ANC either by voting for a smaller party, which would take votes away from dominant parties, or by spoiling their ballots.

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