INDIANS, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN KWAZULU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DURBAN 000039 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SF SUBJECT: INDIANS, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN KWAZULU NATAL ANTICIPATE ELECTION DAY REF: A) PRETORIA 664; B) PRETORIA 662; C) 08 DURBAN 66 DURBAN 00000039 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Two weeks before national elections, KwaZulu Natal (KZN) stakeholders provided a range of views to visiting Political Counselor. The Indian vote is in question as many feel abandoned by the African National Congress (ANC) while others wonder if a Zuma administration will be more sympathetic to Indian concerns. Civil society is concerned about the integrity of democratic institutions but sees hope in what they perceive as a more socialist-leaning ANC. Political parties in KZN are confident they will loosen the ANC's grip on power. End Summary. Indian Perspectives on National Politics ¶2. (SBU) Political Counselor (Pol Counselor),Consul General (CG),Political and Economic Officer (P/E Officer),and Political and Economic Assistant (P/E Assistant) met with retired Professor Syed Nadvi, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Durban, and Ami Nanakchand, former apartheid-era parliamentarian and retired political journalist, on April 7. When discussing the April 6 National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) decision to drop charges against African National Congress' (ANC) President, Jacob Zuma, Nanakchand blithely replied that it was not surprising that Zuma had gotten himself into trouble. Zuma, after all, had come from nothing and had needed and received the financial support of Indians when he returned to South Africa from exile. His financial indiscretions began as his needs grew, observed Nanakchand. Despite his troubles, Zuma is enjoying more support from the Indian community than former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and many Indians believe that Zuma is prepared to address their concerns, according to our interlocutors. ¶3. (SBU) Indians think that the prosecution of prominent Indians such as Schabir Shaik, former financial advisor to Zuma, and Mac Maharaj, former Minister of Transport, was part of an Mbeki strategy to single out and alienate Indians, said Nanakchand. Indians were not happy with the treatment that former Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool received from the ANC and had been reluctant to vote for the ANC as a result. However, since Rasool's appointment as South African President Kgalema Motlante's special advisor, Indians are now more likely to vote for the ANC, said Nadvi. Also, the passing of the bill on the recognition of Islamic marriages currently being considered by Parliament may influence Indian and Pakistani Muslims in South Africa to continue supporting the ANC, he added. ¶4. (SBU) In general, Nanakchand believes that the many decades of contributions by Indians to the South African freedom struggle have not been recognized or rewarded sufficiently by the ANC. Indians do not feature prominently on the ANC parliamentary lists, the annual national honors awards, and this is a concern for many Indians, he added. Affirmative action, which benefits the majority black community far more than any other, is also a concern for the Indian community as they believe it marginalizes them in the market, the workplace and especially in tertiary institutions. (Note: Affirmative action often includes racial quotas which leaves Indians and coloureds out of the picture, as it is with whites. Even when there are no qualified black candidates available, positions in public universities, hospitals and para-statal institutions remain vacant, ignoring qualified white, Indian and coloured candidates. End Note). The ANC will continue to enjoy support from the Indian community because of strong historical ties, said Nanakchand, but the younger generation of Indians, born after the end of apartheid, might not share the same historical perspective, connections or values with the ANC. While Nanakchand and Syed did not expect many Indians to abstain from voting, Fatima Meer, South African freedom struggle icon with whom Durban CG, Pol Counselor and P/E Officer met on April 8, thinks otherwise. 'The ANC is full of corruption. I am very disappointed in the ANC. There is nothing to vote for in this election,' said Meer, repeating sentiments she expressed publicly in 2008 (Ref C). Meer reported that she knew of many Indians who have decided not to vote. This sentiment was also expressed by Muhammad Dala, Deputy Principal of the Orient Islamic School in Durban with whom P/E Officer spoke on March 3. Civil Society: Concerns and Expectations ¶5. (SBU) Many in civil society are euphoric about the surge in political interest and participation among the youth, said Imraan Bacuus of the Center for Public Participation (CPP) with whom CG, Pol Counselor, P/E Officer and P/E Assistant met on April 8. Millions of new young -- often first time -- voters from age 18 to 35 have registered, and political parties are aggressively vying for their votes. Civil society is also DURBAN 00000039 002.2 OF 003 pleased to see the revival of a public political debate, but concerns are growing that government institutions such as the NPA are increasingly biased toward the ANC, said Zamise Sbo of CPP. Civil society is surprised that 15 years after the end of apartheid, the basic integrity of democratic institutions must still be safeguarded, he noted. The ANC has worked to consolidate the center of power, and South African citizens are either blind to this or very trusting of the ANC, said Sbo. As a result, there are very few spaces for citizen engagement, Sbo continued. Civil society sees the need for stronger civics and citizenship education and not just a crash course right before the election. 'Perhaps in 10 years people will become involved in transforming South Africa and take part in changing the values of our systems,' but most are still focused on current injustices, said Sbo. When asked what civil society expects from a Zuma administration, Bacuus replied that working class people see an era of hope in Zuma. There is hope that there will be a 'movement to the left' away from market capitalism so that government can get more involved. Zuma's group seems to be more open to ideas such as social welfare grants and a national health plan, opined Bacuus. However, when pressed by Pol Counselor, Bacuus acknowledged that a Zuma administration would likely retain the prevailing macroeconomic policy and structure, with some marginal changes that are more left-leaning. Sbo predicted increased influence from the South African Communist Party (SACP) under a Zuma administration. Political Parties Fight for Political Power ¶6. (SBU) On April 9, Pol Counselor, P/E Officer and P/E Assistant met separately with representatives from the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP),the Congress of the People (COPE),and the Democratic Alliance (DA). The CG joined the final meeting. In general, IFP, COPE, and DA see the NPA's decision to drop charges against Zuma as a blow to democracy and the rule of law in South Africa. 'This is another example of corruption and bullying by the ANC. All opposition is just stifled,' said Christian Msimang, Deputy Secretary General of the IFP. 'This is Mugabe-style electioneering,' declared Narend Singh, IFP KZN Provincial Treasurer. Chris Msibi, Head of COPE KZN Elections, said that while many urban dwellers care about the Zuma case, rural citizens are not familiar with the case and do not see it as a deciding factor in how they will vote. The ANC 'has been patriarchal' regarding civic awareness and has 'let the people remain ignorant,' said Msibi. ¶7. (SBU) In terms of campaigning, the IFP is making a national push against the ANC, but limited funding has restricted efforts outside KZN. Also, Msimang admitted that Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, President of the IFP, is more popular than the party, which is often seen as a waning tribally-based Zulu-only party. Singh was confident that the ANC would get less than 60 percent of the national vote. (Note: In 2004, the ANC won 69 percent of the vote; and with 'floor-crossing' increased their parliamentary super majority to 70 percent. End Note). Pat Lebenya-Ntanzi, IFP Youth League President, told P/E Officer and P/E Assistant on March 3 that her party expects to win 60 percent of the KZN vote. Also, the IFP has established a team of 4000 volunteers who will conduct door-to-door visits in the run up to the election. Msibi predicts that COPE will take 15 to 20 percent of the KZN vote, although he admits that the challenge of building a new political party is, 'tearing us apart' (Ref A). Msibi added that COPE hopes to reduce the ANC's national majority to less than 51 percent. ¶8. (SBU) If the election were held now, the DA would take 17 percent of the national vote, according to DA polling data shared by DA Parliamentarian Gareth Morgan. He claims that seven percent of black South Africans currently support the DA at the national level and three percent in KZN. In the final two weeks of its campaign, the DA will run a 'Stop Zuma' poster campaign to try to lure undecided voters. The key to victory, however, is voter turnout, added Morgan (Ref B). No one can predict how many people will actually show up at the polls, a factor which significantly increases the polling data margin of error. Pollsters have never been able to accurately predict IFP turnout and as many as a third of Indians are still undecided, Morgan pointed out. It is not surprising then that Morgan reported to P/E Officer and P/E Assistant on March 3 that the DA plans to send out 1.5 million text messages on election day as part of it get-out-the-vote campaign. ¶9. (SBU) The sentiments expressed by the DA that the unpredictability of undecided voters and voter turnout will greatly impact the results of the South African election are underscored by the recently released Ipsos polling data which show that 850,000 to 900,000 voters (or 4.2 percent) have not yet decided how they will vote. If Indian voters abstain in DURBAN 00000039 003.2 OF 003 large numbers, for example, smaller parties such as COPE, DA and Minority Front may see their political presence diminish in KZN. If Indians turn out in large numbers, however, they may help decide who between COPE and the DA will become the official opposition party in the national legislature. Also, if IFP supporters vote in large numbers, the IFP may yet hold on to political power in KZN. ¶10. (SBU) Comment: It was unsurprising that none of the political party representative we talked to saw an opinion poll that they were prepared to trust or believe. As such, public pronouncements of likely vote performance are speculative at best. Predictions by partisans, therefore show no limits and argue that their party's vote performance will be greater than anyone expected; and their opponents would do worse than ever. The local absence of dependable survey research results and opinion polling systems leaves likely vote results and distributions in doubt. In a conversation with a senior investigative political reporter for one of Durban's major dailies, Pol Counselor was told that the majority of South Africans were happy that Zuma's corruption charges were dropped and they don't care about all this stuff about political corruption. They will support the ANC no matter what the press or opposition parties say. He further suggested that ANC supporters 'did not see anything wrong with Zuma taking money from an Indian.' In light of this emotional quality of the political debate and the degree to which it reflects the wider community's sentiments, it will be curious to see, after the fact, just how this election will wind up and how South Africans will react to it. End Comment. DERDERIAN