ANC: No arrogance in election slogan
2011-02-17 20:08
Bloemfontein - The ANC in the Free State on Thursday denied being arrogant for using a provincial government slogan "Operation Hlasela", which was painted on an ANC election campaign truck.
South Africa was expected to go to polls for its 2011 local government elections before the end of May.
"Operation Hlasela is a government programme that has embraced the ANC 2009 election manifesto," said provincial ANC secretary Sibongile Besani.
He was reacting to a local Democratic Alliance allegation that the provincial government's Operation Hlasela had been exposed as a state sponsored ANC activity.
Free State DA leader Roy Jankielsohn said local premier Ace Magashule had taken the concept of "abuse of state resources for party political purposes" and the "conflation of political party and state" to new heights with the ANCs election truck seen in Bloemfontein.
The DA, which showed photos of the truck, said the ANC vehicle was blatantly painted with "Hlasela" along its sides with ANC slogans and party politicians, including the face of President Jacob Zuma.
"The ANC's Free State election truck is a symbol of how the ANC have destroyed Madiba's dream of a democratic South Africa," said Jankielsohn.
Childish
Besani said it was "childish" to complain that Hlasela ANC was written on the party truck.
"Operation Hlasela articulates our manifesto in the best way understood and accepted by Free Staters." He said the truck which the DA was referring to was "a donation" which the party received from private businesses and it was made public at a rally during January 2011.
The truck was in addition to a truck made available by the ANC head office, said Besani.
However, the DA felt the vehicle represented the arrogance and abuse of the state and people under the ANC government.
Jankielsohn said Magashule knew no boundaries when it came to conflating the ANC with the state.
"This government program (Hlasela) has now formally been turned into an ANC election campaign".
The Free State opposition party said Zuma praised Magashule recently for launching Hlasela within the provincial government and was now a partner in the gross abuse of a state driven and state sponsored provincial election program.
Besani denied that the funds of Operation Hlasela had anything to do with the ANC's "budget".
A spokesperson for the premier's office William Bulwane said Hlasela was a programme of action for the present administration adopted by the provincial executive committee.
"I am not sure why the DA linked it with the ANC election campaign." Bulwane also said he was not sure which truck the DA was talking about.
"The ANC has its election truck with the face of President Jacob Zuma and ANC logos which was meant for campaigning," he said, adding that if the DA wanted one, no one would stop them.
- SAPA