Yesterday President Jacob Zuma launched the ANC’s vote campain for next year’s elections. According to eNCA, Zuma kick-started this campaign with the launch of the Moses Kotane Volunteer Brigades in Gauteng. This event “coincided with the 10th anniversary of the passing of ANC stalwart, Walter Sisulu.” “Zuma used the memory of the struggle icon to drum up support for the party ahead of next year’s elections,” the eNCA reported.
Speaking to a group of 6000 volunteers, Zuma said, “The volunteers of the ANC came at a particular time and they were seen as an important component of the organisation. A core of comrades who are called volunteers are expected to behave in a certain way. There must be discipline, but as a body (volunteers) must also help to ensure that generally there is discipline within the ANC.”
The launch of the ANC vote campaign comes a week after former South African and ANC president Nelson Mandela made an ‘exclusive’ appearance on SABC TV together with the ANC top leaders.
Mandela’s appearance triggered outrage on social networks, where people complained that he was being used by the ANC to gain public support. Many people thought Mandela looked ill in the footage and therefore the only reason for him being shown on TV was to build support for the ANC. However, the ANC said Mandela’s appearance had nothing to do with politics and was only meant to show the world that he was alive and well. After the launch of this vote campaign, one may argue that public outrage over his TV appearance was well-founded after all.
