WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-10-31 Time: 09:00:10 Posted By: Jan
By Political Staff
The South Africa National Congress has emerged as the preferred name for the breakaway party, although it has yet to be registered with the Independent Electoral Commission.
After weeks of deliberations, a majority of the so-called dissidents from across the provinces opted for the SANC, a senior member of the National Convention has told Independent Newspapers.
Although a logo is still in the making, the former comrades have gathered the 500 signatures that are required to officially register a new political party and are expected to proceed with their plans in the coming days, ideally ahead of the weekend National Convention.
However given its likeness to the ANC, it is possible that the proposed name will be opposed by the ANC and the commission, “but the IEC will decide”, the convention member said.
“We wanted South Africa in the name,” he added, “because this is a new party and project for the country”.
That said, it will be hard to argue that they are not cutting too close to the edge of the ANC, a powerful, 96-year-old political brand.
Under electoral law, it is the prerogative of the chief electoral officer to chose not to register a party, “if its name, abbreviation or emblem resembles that of another party sufficiently to deceive or confuse voters”, according to the IEC.
Should that come to pass, it is likely that the dissidents will chose the South Africa National Convention as their fall back option, which would still allow them to retain the abbreviated SANC.
Whether that would satisfy the IEC requirements remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the convention has confirmed Barney Pityana and Mvume Dandala as the keynote speakers on the opening day of the convention when they will address the anticipated 4 000-strong crowd on the state of the democracy and how to safeguard it. Other guest speakers may be added to the programme between now and opening day, organisers say.
Their contributions will form part of the opening session, which will begin at 10am and end before noon when the programme will allow for broader discussions on the rule of law, equality before the law, political tolerance, crime, corruption, democracy and governance.
The outcome of those discussions will provide the basis for the declaration that will be drafted on Saturday evening and presented before the plenary on Sunday morning.
Also in attendance will be DA leader Helen Zille, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa and Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille, among other political leaders.
It is understood the ANC will not be sending a delegation.
Secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has warned that those who dared show their faces at the Sandton Convention Centre this weekend risk suspension from the ANC.
However former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils is also understood to be on the guest list along with Jabu Moleketi and his wife Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, both former cabinet members and long-standing ANC diehards. Whether they have accepted the invitation could not be confirmed.
Sdumo Dlamini, president of the Cosatu, has declined his invitation.
In a public statement he told Mbhazima Shilowa and Terror Lekota to “accept Baba and allow other leaders to lead the ANC”.
On Wednesday opposition parties dished out advice to Lekota, warning him during a live radio debate that he and other ANC dissidents would be making a big mistake if all that fuelled their new party was anger with the ANC.
Lekota joined the ANC, the DA, ID, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the UDM and the Freedom Front Plus (FF-Plus) to discuss the changing political landscape in the country on Talk Radio 702/Cape Talk.
Both de Lille and FF-Plus leader Pieter Mulder cautioned that any new party launched on the basis of anger and grievance would wither away, rather than grow.
She told Lekota that voters needed a party that would deliver on bread and butter issues.
Lekota said he had not broken ranks with the ANC as a result of anger, but for genuine reasons.
“When I struggled against apartheid, nobody said I was angry,” said Lekota, who served a lengthy period on Robben Island.
He challenged the ANC’s statements that he was unhappy about being ejected from a leadership position at Polokwane.
“I can’t be called a dog because I express my views. I can’t be called erratic (because of disagreement). If you say ‘kill Lekota, kill Shilowa’ what is that? That is not the organisation I joined 31 years ago.
“One never calls a convention to form a party, but to discuss matters of national importance.
“At the convention itself we believe the like-minded must decided whether they want to form an organisation,” he said.
He also attacked the ANC for instructing its members not to attend his rallies and the convention.
“The little baby born in 1994 is losing its teeth. In a democracy, no political party owns voters,” he said.
ANC national spokesperson Jessie Duarte said if Lekota wanted to form a party, he could do so – but not by using party structures to mobilise support.
“If you want to form your own political party do it in your own space.
“We believe that if comrade Terror wants to form a political party he must do so.
“Why don’t you resign (from the ANC) and form your own political party?” Duarte shot back.