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Why Vote is an Internet initiative to encourage South Africans to take responsibility to their lives, to make sure they are registered and to vote in the coming general election (whenever that may be)

WhyVote.co.za is not affiliated to any media organisation, group, government organisation, political party, business initiative or conglomerate. WhyVote.co.za is an initiative run by citizens of this country, for citizens of this country.

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If we want change, if we want things to be different, then we the people of South Africa have to act differently. We have to elect the politicians we want and hold them accountable.

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COPE Leadership? Lynda Odendaal - Who?

I had to smile - obviously COPE is influenced by beauty pageants that have a first runner-up and a second runner-up. (first deputy and second deputy president)

Elected in Bloemfontein were multilingual, Terror Lekota as president with former Gauteng premier Mbhazima (Sam) Shilowa as its first deputy president and a political unknown from the same province, business woman Lynda Odendaal, as second deputy president.

I hadn't heard the results when I came in from a meeting and switched on the TV. I saw this blond chick hugging Terror and blowing kisses to the audience so I wondered what pop star they had with them up on stage, obviously to endorse the party. Then I saw the ticker tape and couldn't believe my eyes.

I watched her closely while they were singing the National Anthem and she doesn't know all the words - 15 years into liberation! (Maybe she was just overwhelmed or exhausted from "black power" salutes and blowing kisses).

The only mentions of her company on the net are a few media releases.

I know some COPE members. Some are women. Some are white. Some are both. All are infinitely more qualified than Lynda Odendaal for national leadership in a new political party that is promising to challenge the ruling party.

No Political Profile

"She has no political profile, but it will be built," Lekota said in an article in IOL.

Is the top echelon of a Party, three months (or so) before a general election a good place to build a political profile.

Well Sarah Palin did OK out of her VP spot, so who knows how Lynda Odendaal is going to shape up?

How will the ANC COPE with Transformation?

Unlike many of my friends, comrades and countrymen (and women) I haven't ushed of to join the Congress of the People (COPE).

I'm watching with great interest how the political scenario in South Africa is evolving and developing and how the African National Congress (ANC) is reacting to a potential real opposition.

I hope the leaders of COPE and the ANC are going to a bit more responsible in their rhetoric. The vote of the "masses" that they are competing for is like a Freestate veld in July when a high wind howls and someone throws a stompie out of a car window.

I'm afraid that if they throw too many stompies out of car windows we're doing to have casualties.

The masses are politically aware but maybe not sophisticated enough to understand the robust rhetoric of their leaders and the wild metaphors - it would be a tragedy if some decide to take matters into their own hands to ensure the security of their party.

I don't know whether COPE will last or not, but I believe that it can only be good in the long run for South African democracy, although a right centrist opposition - I don't know.

The ANC has to transform from a liberation organisation into a political party. It has to shake off its arrogance and get better organised, and with COPE nipping at it's heels - it might just emerge stronger.

Will the Congress of the People be just another splinter party or the beginning or a new look opposition - time will tell.

What I do When I not Sleeping

The reason I like my work is also the reason I hate my work sometimes - I just do so many different things; often at the same time. You know those pianists of keyboard players who play two keyboards - well there are days when I want to set up my laptop next to my pc... no that's just as crazy as Palin!

Some of the stories/articles I've written in the past ten days:

Volunteer Tourism in Colorado Build Trails and Protect the Eco-system in the Rocky Mountains

Profile: Mia Michaels Modern Dance Choreographer, Teacher and Dancer

Red Flanders Poppies in Queensland Red November in Glen Aplin in Australia's Granite Belt

An article on Carpet Cleaning for my client AFM Cleantech.

Some profiles and a media release for Tradepoint.

Two book reviews for Africansway.

I've probably left out some but it's quite strange that I think that I don't do much writing. I always feel that I send more time building websites or optimizing them or taking pictures.

But this is probably not much of a blog post but it has been an interesting exercise for me to see what I do. Also it may be handy one day when I go completely crazy for people to be able to see why?

A Dance in Time at the 2010 Stadium in Durban

I've been watching the 2010 Moses Mabidha Stadium and documenting it from before the fist pick dug into that soil. I love awesome structures and I know this one is going to be one of them. While the rest of the world holds its breath to see whether Africa can pull of the FIFA World Football Cup in 2010, we, here in South Africa just shrug and carry on with life - we know we can do it.

Anyway, yesterday I received my friend's latest novel, A Dance in Time. I had the book with me when I was taking the pictures of the 2010 Stadium. So, I thought I'd just show Aine the book had arrived in Durban.

Aine is a really, really good Irish writer who writes under the name of Orna Ross. I couldn't wait to get stuck into this book because I read her first novel, Lover's Hollow two years ago in Dublin, when I spent a month there, taking writing lessons from her.

I also watched the last World Cup in Ireland. As a beer drinking South African I had a really good time in the pubs all around Ireland watching football with the locals, especially as none of us had a dog in the fight - now if it were rugby, that might have been another story...

I started reading A Dance in Time last night and I know it is going to be hard to do any work this week - I just want to get back to to the book.

And the 2010 Stadium, well I'll keep driving past it to record the progress.

For more pics of the Moses Mabidha Stadium, check my flickr pages

New Obama Video: American Prayer

This great song by Dave Stewart and a host of stars is destined to become a new Anthem. Stewart explains why he wrote it: "People long for a connection-- whether it is to music, to their country, or to a big idea. Regardless of what happens in November, Senator Obama has reminded millions of people that they have the power to connect to bigger ideas. He is, in essence, the embodiment of a new anthem for change."

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Workshop for Democracy

Captions: Top - DDP's Manju Marimuthu with presenter Martin Challenor, project co-ordinator Pinky Naidoo and Marlan Padayachee of GreenGold Africa Communications, facilitator of the KAS DDP Multiparty Media Workshop for KZN political parties at the Kingfisher Conference Centre, Mount Edgecombe from 9-11 September.

Above: Me - "working the room".


With a general election looming in South Africa, multiparty cooperation and networking (even if it is behind the scenes) is essential.

What is also necessary is that the political parties and their designated players learn to establish better relationships with the media.

The Democracy Delvelopment Programme (DDP) a partner project of the Konrad Adenauer Trust in Germany, has been running multi party programs since the early 90's, "supporting capacity building on governance and civil society levels to ensure that both are empowered for meaningful participation in South Africa’s social transformation"

I recently enjoyed participating in one of these three day workshops through the involvement of my old speechwriting colleague Marlan Padayachee of GreenGold Africa Communications.