With less than 24 hours left before the elections tomorrow, one of the country’s oldest liberation movements, the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) has called on all registered South Africans to go out and vote.
Spokesperson for the party, Jabu Rakwena, has urged even the despondent and the disgruntled of voters to cast their mark on the ballot.
“As we approach the elections on the 29th May there are those who are despondent and have given up on the electoral process. They are convinced that all politicians are the same. Indeed all politicians are the same. For them electoral politics is a career, an opportunity to elevate oneself whilst claiming to help the poor. This country needs revolutionary activists more than politicians. How does one differentiate between politicians and revolutionary activists? Track record and actions speak louder than words,” he said.
In spite of reported incidents of tempering with voter material against the IEC, Rakwena said Azapo was inspired by the mood of voters as the country heads into one of the country’s biggest election seasons since the 1994 elections that ushered the country’s democracy.
“Azapo remains enthusiastic about the mood of the voters and calls upon every registered voter to go out on the 29 May and vote. The legitimacy of these elections will be confirmed by, among others, the overwhelming huge turn-out. This will truly endorse the will of the people. Azapo also urges those who have not cast their votes in the last 30 years, while registered, to rather than boycott the elections – exercise their power to effect change,” Rakwena said.
The party, which is revered for its Pan Africanism and Black Consciousness, said should it assume electoral power, it will not need 30 years to transform the lives of its people.
“Azapo as the flag bearer of Black Consciousness philosophy and way of life is the vehicle of the people. Just like Thomas Sankara, Azapo does not need 30 years to transform the life of Black people and still fail at that. Five years is sufficient to make and lay a firm foundation of demonstrable and transformative path.
“Those that have given up, please give Azapo a chance and try them. You have nothing to lose. Don’t waste your vote, go out there and consciously make a mark and be part of the new attitude that says, nothing for us without us. As Dr Barney Pityana as a young revolutionary once declared, ‘Black man you are on your own’, we echo those words and declare that we are indeed on our own,” he said.
The Star
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