POLITICS

More evidence of ANC election abuses - Wilmot James

DA FC says CASE report documents how the ruling party is trying to skew election in its favour

CASE report highlights concerns around ANC election abuses

Research by the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE) shows that the ANC is engaging in a range of practices designed to skew the election in their favour (see link).

CASE's 102-page report is based on extensive newspaper sources and interviews conducted between August and November last year with representatives of nine political parties. The research "overwhelmingly pointed to the ANC as the primary source of intimidation in South Africa."

In a sad indictment of the ANC's underhanded tactics, the report finds that intimidation and voting buying is most prevalent in poor communities. 

The CASE report reinforces the evidence of ANC abuses which the DA provided at a press conference earlier this week (see link) and shows just how extensive these practices have become. But it goes much further.

Activists said that "Older people-pensioners-are told if you vote for anyone other than the ANC you will lose your pension. Young mothers, 18-19 years old, they come from poor backgrounds and get the R250 child grant, they are being told if you vote for anyone other than us you will lose this grant."

There is evidence of facilities being denied to opposition parties, of violence being threatened and the threats sometimes carried out.

Even the secrecy of the ballot is brought into question. The report quotes a member of Cope from the Eastern Cape alleging that in a previous election an IEC member had been involved in intimidating voters by placing a cell-phone in the voting booth.

"They would put a cell phone in the voting booth. The ANC agents would be telling people, that `you know what, when you get into the voting booth, there's a cell phone with a camera. That cell phone will be taking a photograph of you. Whatever you vote we will know. If you don't vote for the ANC, we'll take away your food parcels and your grants.' I mean that's blatant intimidation."

The CASE report concludes that "the course of action that would best address the problem of political intolerance in South Africa would be for the ANC to acknowledge the shortcomings of many of its followers, and the obstacles these present to the potential consolidation of democracy in South Africa. Acknowledgement would hopefully be a first step towards implementing measures that would commit the ANC to observing more fully the democratic practice to which it says it is committed."

We cannot allow our communities' right to participate freely and openly in the May 7th election to be compromised. President Jacob Zuma has a Constitutional responsibility to uphold this right. We call on Zuma to consider the findings of this report and to intervene to end questionable practices of his party.

If Zuma fails to take action on this report and on his party's abuse of public resources as outlined in our press conference (see link), the DA will include the evidence from the CASE report when approaching the High Court to request an interdict against these abuses.

Statement issued by Dr Wilmot James MP, DA Federal Chairperson, April 11 2014

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