Agriculture and affirmative action. That was all it took for Piet Grobler, a retired farmer from Thabazimbi in Limpopo, to sign up for the new Congress of the People party.
Grobler was on holiday in Bloemfontein and managed to get into Sunday’s session. He was so impressed by what he saw and heard that he joined the party on the spot.
Interim chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota told his story to the delegates on Monday morning and brought him on to the stage. The delegates broke into song and wild cheering as he was introduced.
‘Your policy about agriculture to give food to the people and secondly, your proposal to handle regstellende aksie [affirmative action] in a way that will not discriminate against anyone,†said Grobler, mentioning some of the policies which had impressed him.
According to the new party’s draft policies, affirmative action should remain, but it should be made more inclusive.
He told the delegates that he has four sons, one of whom was working in Canada because he had not been able to find work in South Africa. Grobler said this was due to affirmative action. Two of his other sons work as engineers in South Africa.
He said he joined Cope because of their attitude to affirmative action, and because of their policies on agriculture aimed at feeding the people.
‘Long Live Grobler!†delegates chanted as they danced in front of the stage.
Grobler insisted on signing up the spot, even though he was advised to register at the nearest branch back in Thabazimbi.
Voter registration
Cope claimed on Monday that the African National Congress was seeking to block the next round of voter registration to keep the new party’s supporters from the polls.
In a document circulated among delegates, Cope said that if President Kgalema Motlanthe were to announce the date for the 2009 elections before the second round of registration has taken place, it would be scrapped.
”The ANC is aware of this. South Africans would end up being inadvertently disenfranchised on the alter of political expediency.
”All of this is being done so that the ANC does not face real and stiff competition at the polls, it said.
Cope, which will kick off its election campaign in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, said the possibility of going into an election as early as March 25 next year would be one of its biggest challenges.
The fledgling party, born a few weeks ago in protest at the political demise of former president Thabo Mbeki, said it was also worried about having ”minimal resources at our disposal given the short time and notice we will get to mobilise all our supporters”.
Commentators have predicted that the new movement could hope to poll about 10%.
Since the party’s conference began here on Sunday, it has sought to portray itself as a tolerant, progressive movement open to all races and creeds.
”We are not an organisation of communists, but we have nothing against communists. We are not all Muslim, but we have nothing against Muslims,” Lekota said on Tuesday.
The organisational report noted however that there had been ”disturbing reports of gate-keeping by some amongst use who are not keen to allow others into Cope”.
”This demon should be destroyed now because Cope is and always should be a home for all our people.” – Sapa