'Keep 'half-apartheid' DA from winning'

The ANC will not lose the Western Cape to DA leader Helen Zille and her "half-apartheid party", the party's treasurer general, Mathews Phosa, has claimed.

Phosa was speaking in the Company's Garden at a May Day event organised by Cosatu and attended by a large crowd.

Speaking mainly Afrikaans, he also addressed the Afrikaans-speaking community, saying he had respect for them and identified with their feeling that they had been discriminated against on a certain level.

"Remember, we are now free to say what we want to in the language of our choice. You must do this," he told the crowd.

Phosa assured those present that the ANC leadership elected in Polokwane would ensure that their problems were resolved.



He said workers could be proud of their efforts to achieve freedom from any form of oppression.

Phosa also spoke about black economic empowerment, saying that there were fears about minority groups and BEE transactions.

These fears were real, he said, adding that the ANC and its alliance partners would have to reconsider the BEE model and the legislation governing it.

The BEE charters and codes should also be looked at, Phosa said.

He also spoke about the economic challenges facing the country, such as the electricity crisis, and rising fuel and food prices and interest rates.

These were matters of concern that should be discussed, he said.

The government should be strengthened and South Africa's democracy deepened, Phosa said.

He urged the crowd not to allow the DA to take over the province.

"We cannot give the province to a half-apartheid party," he said.

Phosa was followed on the podium by the general secretary of the South African Communist Party, Jeremy Cronin, who urged working-class communities to fight the rises in the prices of food and fuel.

Cronin said workers were having to fork out more because the cost of living was increasing, while wages were not rising and social grants were not big enough to offset the growing costs.

He asked what could be done about the increase in the price of fuel.

The programme for the event included performances by the Cafda dance group, singing sensations Malaika and other bands.

Malaika picked a man from the crowd, Enoch Nengovhela, to join them on stage.

Nengovhela sat while Malaika's woman singer, Tshedi Mholo, serenaded him and later joined the dancers.

To keep children entertained during the day, there were jumping castles.

There was also a fashion show, to encourage the public to wear South African-made garments.

"Wear the pride of the people you help to employ," read a banner hung above the stage.

fatima.schroeder@inl.co.za

• Source Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20080502070106762C855440
  
  Posted By: Jan
  AfricanCrisis Webmaster
  Author of: Government by Deception
  

       

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  Readers' Comments

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  Date Posted: Sunday 04-May-2008
  Cant jeremy cronin get his mates that "run"the country to scrap the feul tax in total?its purpose to reair renew roads its obviously not being used for this purpose,anyway theres a road repair budget and the "con"toll roads paid for by taxpayers then handed carte blanche to someones mates,get them to fix the roads...DUMP THE FEUL TAX,CUT VAT BY 12%..that will help a little,the only way the people can do anything is to vote the ANC out and get a new goverment that pledges to work for real change not one master for another,as is the case now with the same trash speeches by by the same boring speakers from da struggle.
  
  GUS
  s.africa
  

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  Date Posted: Friday 02-May-2008
  Ha!
  I could live comfortably with full Apartheid any time again, and I mean the Verwoerd style, not the watered down version under Vorster, Botha and of course that ultimate sellout de Klerk.
  
  After 12 years of ANC mismanagement, genocide and corruption, Apartheid's side effects, hidden costs, security costs and human rights violations seem little to worry about.
  
  disgusted