'Zuma has let us down'
9 February 2010, 13:14
By Bronwynne Jooste and Murray Williams
Staff Reporters
The ANC's campaign to woo Western Cape voters has suffered a serious setback when President Jacob Zuma cancelled his visit to Gugulethu, leaving scores of party volunteers upset and disappointed.
The party had hoped to capitalise on this week's celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison, which provided it with a perfect platform to prove it is a force to be reckoned with in the Western Cape - the only province it does not control.
But yesterday upset ANC volunteers in Gugulethu learned less than an hour before Zuma was due to arrive that he would miss the visit and walk-about of the area.
It had been widely expected that other ANC national heavyweights would join the president during his visit to make the most of the "Mandela moment".
Today the party may name a high-profile coloured leader to bolster its efforts at the polls because the "coloured vote is not married to the DA", one ANC leader said today.
The head of the ANC's provincial task team, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, was expected to make the announcement at 10am at the ANC's provincial headquarters.
Since the weekend, the province's interim leadership team, tasked with rebuilding the party's shattered machinery in the Western Cape, has spent hours locked in meetings with some of the party's top national bosses.
ANC national spokesman Jackson Mthembu blamed the president's Gugulethu no-show on a "problem of miscommunication" by party officials. He also denied claims that the visit had been cancelled because of the threat of protests.
Several of the volunteers told the Cape Argus that they were disappointed by Zuma's non-arrival, but former ANC leader in the Western Cape Mcebisi Skwatsha insisted that "the word 'disappointment' does not appear in the ANC's vocabulary".
A group of ANC volunteers who had gathered at the Lucas Mbembe Educare hall in Gugulethu yesterday were told just after 3pm to expect the president at 4pm.
He was set to have joined them in a walk-about in the area to mobilise support for the party's rallies this month, celebrating the unbanning of the ANC and Mandela's release.
When a Cape Argus team arrived at the hall, the volunteers were keenly awaiting Zuma's arrival. But within a few minutes, their jubilation turned to disappointment when they were informed that Zuma would no longer be attending.
Earlier the ANC had sent a statement to Cape Town journalists saying that Zuma's visit was off.
Local ward councillor Mandisa Matshoba told them the visit had been cancelled "at the last minute".
"This is disappointing. The ANC is always saying they want to win back the Western Cape but now they are not here. We are going to look like liars to the people, because the president is not here," she said.
Some volunteers encouraged the journalists to take pictures of the "disappointed volunteers". But others said it was not appropriate to discuss the issue in front of the media, adding that the ANC was always receiving negative publicity.
The Cape Argus team was then asked to leave while the meeting continued.
Outside the hall, Gugulethu resident Thembi Mbelu said he was saddened by the news that the president would not be visiting.
"I wanted to ask him about the empty promises everyone makes before the elections. He said he will create jobs, but I am still sitting here. Now there is no one to answer those questions."
Another resident, Lusindiso Stefano, said he also had a few service delivery questions, but mainly just wanted to see Zuma.
After the meeting, Skwatsha denied that the volunteers had been angered by Zuma's absence.
Matshoba said she was worried about confronting residents.
"As the ward councillor, I must cover myself when I get home. This is a drastic disappointment. We weren't getting information; we didn't know what was happening. Only later did they tell us he was not coming. As the nearest ANC leader to the people, they will blame me now."
But Matshoba said she was confident the setback would not scupper the ANC's plans to win back the Western Cape.
Not even the latest scandal over Zuma fathering a child out of wedlock would detract from his support, she said.
But others polled on the streets of Gugulethu said they were disgusted by the president's behaviour. - Additional reporting by Carien du Plessis and Gaye Davis.
Staff Reporters
The ANC's campaign to woo Western Cape voters has suffered a serious setback when President Jacob Zuma cancelled his visit to Gugulethu, leaving scores of party volunteers upset and disappointed.
The party had hoped to capitalise on this week's celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison, which provided it with a perfect platform to prove it is a force to be reckoned with in the Western Cape - the only province it does not control.
But yesterday upset ANC volunteers in Gugulethu learned less than an hour before Zuma was due to arrive that he would miss the visit and walk-about of the area.
It had been widely expected that other ANC national heavyweights would join the president during his visit to make the most of the "Mandela moment".
Today the party may name a high-profile coloured leader to bolster its efforts at the polls because the "coloured vote is not married to the DA", one ANC leader said today.
The head of the ANC's provincial task team, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, was expected to make the announcement at 10am at the ANC's provincial headquarters.
Since the weekend, the province's interim leadership team, tasked with rebuilding the party's shattered machinery in the Western Cape, has spent hours locked in meetings with some of the party's top national bosses.
ANC national spokesman Jackson Mthembu blamed the president's Gugulethu no-show on a "problem of miscommunication" by party officials. He also denied claims that the visit had been cancelled because of the threat of protests.
Several of the volunteers told the Cape Argus that they were disappointed by Zuma's non-arrival, but former ANC leader in the Western Cape Mcebisi Skwatsha insisted that "the word 'disappointment' does not appear in the ANC's vocabulary".
A group of ANC volunteers who had gathered at the Lucas Mbembe Educare hall in Gugulethu yesterday were told just after 3pm to expect the president at 4pm.
He was set to have joined them in a walk-about in the area to mobilise support for the party's rallies this month, celebrating the unbanning of the ANC and Mandela's release.
When a Cape Argus team arrived at the hall, the volunteers were keenly awaiting Zuma's arrival. But within a few minutes, their jubilation turned to disappointment when they were informed that Zuma would no longer be attending.
Earlier the ANC had sent a statement to Cape Town journalists saying that Zuma's visit was off.
Local ward councillor Mandisa Matshoba told them the visit had been cancelled "at the last minute".
"This is disappointing. The ANC is always saying they want to win back the Western Cape but now they are not here. We are going to look like liars to the people, because the president is not here," she said.
Some volunteers encouraged the journalists to take pictures of the "disappointed volunteers". But others said it was not appropriate to discuss the issue in front of the media, adding that the ANC was always receiving negative publicity.
The Cape Argus team was then asked to leave while the meeting continued.
Outside the hall, Gugulethu resident Thembi Mbelu said he was saddened by the news that the president would not be visiting.
"I wanted to ask him about the empty promises everyone makes before the elections. He said he will create jobs, but I am still sitting here. Now there is no one to answer those questions."
Another resident, Lusindiso Stefano, said he also had a few service delivery questions, but mainly just wanted to see Zuma.
After the meeting, Skwatsha denied that the volunteers had been angered by Zuma's absence.
Matshoba said she was worried about confronting residents.
"As the ward councillor, I must cover myself when I get home. This is a drastic disappointment. We weren't getting information; we didn't know what was happening. Only later did they tell us he was not coming. As the nearest ANC leader to the people, they will blame me now."
But Matshoba said she was confident the setback would not scupper the ANC's plans to win back the Western Cape.
Not even the latest scandal over Zuma fathering a child out of wedlock would detract from his support, she said.
But others polled on the streets of Gugulethu said they were disgusted by the president's behaviour. - Additional reporting by Carien du Plessis and Gaye Davis.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on February 09, 2010
Pretoria
