Intro:
Just over a month ago, the splinter cell from the ANC officially launched it’s new party: Congress of the People – Cope.
With an election in South Africa approaching (date not yet set), the young democracy is facing one of it’s biggest challenges so far.
Will South Africa manage to transform in to a true multi-party democracy, or will the powerful African National Congress, ANC, respond to challenge and possible loss of voters with violence, as in the neighboring Zimbabwe?
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START:
fading up from black:
-I was definately not an easy decision for me to leave the African national congress. Mlungisi Hlongwane, election responsible Cope
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-African liberation movements have had their time span, and I think the ANC’s time is just up.
Siphokazi Novuka, volonteer Cope
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-The ANC is under attack. We need to defend the African National Congress.
Julius Malema, president of ANC youth league
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-This election will be a test, whether South Africa moves towards a deeper and fuller democracy, or otherwise.
Terror Lekota, president Cope
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This is where it all started .... / SIGN December 2007 /
Mbeki versus Zuma during the ANC national conference in the city of Polokwane a bit over a year ago ...
And Thabo Mbeki – then the president of South Africa – was met with booing by Zumas supporters.
A new political climate was born..
-It's a sad story where a glorius liberation movement was transformed into an organisation that lacks morality, that lacks values. An organisation that is no longer the shining example of what we regarded as the liberation movement as we always been proud of. This is the sad story of what I would conceptualise as the summery of what emerged in Polokwane,
Mlungisi Hlongwane, election responsible Cope
SIGN: Thabo Mbeki resigned as president on 21st of September 2008, after being ”recalled” by the ANC.
-I joined Cope before Cope was formed, you know. A lot of things were going wrong, a lot of things I didn’t agree with. And I think most specifically for me, especially really, what happened on the 21st of September was the last draw.
Siphokazi Novuka, volunteer Cope.
SIGN: Terror Lekota, former defence minister, fonded Congress of the People, COPE.
-The future of our people is in our ability to ensure that the Congress of the People succeed and grows and becomes stronger every day.
Terror Lekota, president of Cope
Q: Why was there a need for a new party in South Africa today?
-Because we do need a political party because we have now attended to freedom. A liberation organisation is an organisation for a particular type of task. And you need now a political party to govern the country which will use expertise that will deliver to the people and for that you need a different kind of organisation.
Terror Lekota, president of Cope
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*Pictures - inside the house of Spholly Dlamini*
Spholly Dlamini is trying to get a few things in order...
Her home has been turned into one of Copes headquarters.
Not enough time, nor enough resources, the party is happy for every help it’s supporters offers.
And Spholly herself, put her business on hold to help out as a volunteer.
-Hey – you know what! My business, I will attend to it after the elections, the general elections.
Spolly Dlamini, Cope volunteer.
Planning a conference – Cope is stressing against time..
Forming party structures, recruiting members…
-Nowhere in the world has a party started in so short period of time. Between middle of November to where we are right now, which is barely two months, we have a reasonable well established party. We have almost over 500.000 members, we have structures in every single region across S.A.
Sylvan Golden, Joburg election co-ordinator
But Cope also has a tremendously strong opponent in the mother party.
ANC got over 2/3 majority in the last election, but the party is today accused of responding to the political challenge with non-democratic methods.
The head of ANC Youth League is considered as the worst, he says that he will kill for the ANC president Jacob Zuma.
-When people make a turn like that, you become so disappointed. And what do you do? Because the early teachings of Marx, Lenin and Che Guevara told us it will be contra-revolutionaries and sell-outs in the process of engaging in a revolution.
Julius Malema, ANCYL
Revolution or not - South Africa is still a country facing massive challenges.
Huge unemployment, poverty, an HIV/Aids epidemic, lack of houses, health care and education…
The needs are huge ....
This is Diepsloot, on the outskirts of Johannesburg
*SIGN: Diepsloot, kåkstad utanför Johannesburg. januari 2009*
(Cope is campaining)
-Do you cope? Do you cope? There you go!
-You must get the forms guys! They must register, they should not only talk, you know.
Q: -Did a lot of people register today?
-Sure, sure, today is the main day that people in this area should register and get prepared for general elections in a few months to come.
Cope gives Hope – they say. Here, where hope seems almost vanished.
-My Dear, we’ve been here for 8 years, in this kind of environment situation. For the whole 8 years, nobody cares. The councellor came in this place but he never acts. That is the problem that we are facing now. And the other thing – we have no toilets. Those public toilets that you see on the street, we’re not enjoying them. Because 500 families are using those few toilets. They are uncontrollable.
Bessie Motubatse, resident Diepsloot
Diseases as cholera are flourishing in conditions, not worthy for humans.
And people are upset of how the ANC-politicians only seems to care for themselves.
-You know, the sad thing that she told me. The councellor of this place lives just down here and has electricity.
-No!
-He has electricity and he lives not far from here, but the people here don’t have any electricity.
Q: How is that possible?
-I just think it’s priorities. Obviously he’s looking after himself and not anybody else.
-We’re sick and tired of empty promises. We understand that from the manifesto of the ruling party they still saying they are gona provide houses, doing everything for the people. But we say now; Our hope for change is that cope will deliver for the entire South Africans.
Bethwell Nomavuka, resident Diepsloot.
-They been living here for years and they haven’t seen change in over two elections. So I think for those who desperately need change, it’s time to vote for a new party and I think that is where we will get our supporters.
*Singing and dancing outside Cope-meeting*
But Cope is considered to be a party for the middle- and upperclass. To do well in the election, they need to get the votes of the poor people as well and therefor send their party president to convince.
*Song – Terror – Terror Lekota*
Terror Lekota used to be the minister of defence, he was in the government and what would he do different now, compared to before?
-One of the biggest needs here is housing, is issues of service deliveries, electricity water, all of theese things. But the starting point must be to ensure that the leadership in this community is committed.
Terror Lekota, president of Cope
At Spholly Dlamini’s house, members of the women forum arrives.
Just as in Diepsloot, the mobilising of supporters is the prioritised task:
-And I said, no, if you love Cope, you should encourage your wife to come to the meeting. You must come with your wife …
-Then Sunday…we went to an orphanage house, with 18 children affected by hiv/aids. We donated food parcels and promised to come back soon.
Somisa Valencia Mohale
Mobilising and committment. But noone really know what to expect from the upcoming elections.
Mlungisi Hlongwane was an ANC mayor in Vaal, south of Johannesburg. He left both party and work to joing Cope, to the annoyment of his former comrades.
-We may be talking about the problems in Zimbabwe, as our neighbours in the north. In no time, you could actually end up having something similar here. And remember – the leadership of the ANC have unfortunately introduced a culture of political intolerence. I had my picture burnt in public, by members of the ANC Youth League and the former military veterans of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Mlungisi Hlongwane, responsible for elections Cope
-This are difficult elections. The preparations are not normal this time. We went to revive old comrades and veterans, we went to revive them and sad; Come back, the ANC is under attack. You need to defend the African National Congress.
Julius Malema, ANC Youth League.
-People need to realise and understand that we are now fighting a different struggle a different revolution which is not built on aggression.
Q: Are you sometimes afraid?
-Yes I am. One of the things you had to be specific about is that this is not gona be shown in South African television, and I’m gona hold you to that. So –yes – there is some level of fear but the majority of South Africans really are peaceloving people that would rather fight at the ballot, than fight fysically, harm people fysically.
Siphokazi Novuka, volunteer Cope
Duration: 10 minutes, 12 seconds.