SA National Civics Organisation (Sanco) Free State provincial chairperson Gift Poli says his decision to support African Congress for Transformation (ACT) was because its leader, Ace Magashule, was a champion of the poor.
Poli said it cannot be that 30 years into the democratic dispensation, people are still leaving in squalor.
“The rate of unemployment is very high, the level of poverty is also high. Our people are hopeless, that is why I joined ACT to give our people hope, especially the people of the Free State.
“During the time of Magashule, we had an identity, we had a programme called Operation Hlasela where services were given to our people. Currently there is nothing happening except for the high level of corruption in the Free State,” he said.
The Sanco provincial leader told The Star that during the former premier’s tenure, he had achieved many milestones, citing the programme of taking students abroad to study.
“Truth be told, when Magashule was still in the ANC, he made sure that there was service delivery, we had infrastructure such as roads and houses were built.
“We follow Magashule not because of a personal cult but because he’s a man of action, hence we have an organisation called ACT. If we can be given a chance as ACT there will be hope for our people.”
On the question of whether Sanco members were expected to support and canvass for the ANC as an alliance partner, Poli said even though he was a leader of a civic organisation, he was also an individual who had his own party choice.
“The position of Sanco was that people should vote and campaign for political parties of their choice, therefore I am going to remain a leader of Sanco but I am going to vote for ACT.
“Those who also want to vote for political parties of their choice, they can do that and that is the resolution of Sanco, we have not deviated from that.”
He reiterated his belief that ACT was the only organisation that would liberate and emancipate people.
Earlier this year, Sanco’s Provincial General Council (PGC) resolved that they would not be endorsing and campaigning for the ANC in the upcoming elections.
Delegates who attended the council at the time, agreed that the movement was a civic organisation, therefore members would be allowed to campaign and vote for whatever political party they wished to.
“We agreed that Sanco was a civic organisation and that we are not going to dictate who our members are going to vote for.
“This decision doesn’t mean the end of the alliance; remember we are not a federal organisation but a unilateral organisation,” Poli said at the time.
The Star
sipho.jack@inl.co.za