"Gangster party" issue has been set straight for good

We as the Patriotic Alliance would like to express our full gratitude for the ruling of the press ombudsman that it was highly inaccurate for Sapa to refer to us as a party that "consists of gangsters". He also went on to point what we ourselves have always emphasised: that we were formed in order to create a society that would help to eradicate gangsterism.

We are encouraged by this act of moderating the press through its own processes. As a party we are not entirely satisfied however that Sapa actually apologised in a fair and accurate spirit following the directive of the ombudsman, to which we have issued a further complaint. But the biggest victory remains ours.

Here follows the full text of the ombudsman's ruling:

Wed, Feb 12, 2014

Ruling by the Press Ombudsman

12 February 2014

This ruling is based on the written submissions of Mr Charles Cilliers, on behalf of Mr Gayton Mckenzie of the Patriotic Alliance, and Mark van der Velden, editor of Sapa.

Complaint

Cilliers complains about a Sapa story which was circulated to several online publications in December 2013.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) complains the statement “of fact” in the story that it was a party that “consisted of gangsters” was inaccurate and damaging.

Analysis

The story said that the parole of Mr Rasheed Staggie, former Hard Livings gang leader on the Cape Flats, had been revoked because he had joined a political party, the PA, “which consisted of gangsters”.

The PA complains that this depiction was false. It says that the police in the Western Cape alleged that the party was made up of gangsters, but it could provide no evidence to this effect – and Sapa made a leap to present this unfounded allegation as fact.

Sapa replies that due to an editing error the word “reportedly” was dropped from the sentence. It argues, though, that Mckenzie (who co-formed the PA in November 2013) was a convicted criminal who said in a Metro FM interview that gangsters were joining his party, and also: “They can call me a gangster. They can call us a gangster party. But they’ll see me at the polls.”

The news agency offers to do an interview with Mckenzie “to tell us more about his political party, what it stands for and who its members are, which we will then storify and distribute on our wire as a fresh and relevant and interesting news report”.

The PA accepts this proposal on condition that the story should be written as an apology. It says that it was vitally important “that Sapa (does) not attempt to weasel out of an apology”.

Sapa takes exception to the use of the word “weasel”, and refuses to apologise.

I also find the use of the word “weasel” rather unfortunate.

The main issue, though, is the question if Sapa should apologise for its mistake, or merely correct it (with or without a new story).

The yardstick that I constantly use when deciding about the above, is the question how much unnecessary harm a mistake may have caused the affected party.

Therefore, I need to do some research into what the PA stands for.

According to an internet search:

McKenzie explained that the inspiration for the formation of PA came from the extraordinary levels of gang violence during 2013 in the Western Cape. He stated that he believed that the governments in the Western Cape had not done enough to eradicate the root causes of gangsterism and crime and that the only way to ensure that this could be changed would be if a new political entity was established to address this issue. While the party has stated that one of its key aims is the eradication of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic conditions that cause gangsterism and crime, almost all criticism and satire levelled at the PA has focused on the perception that the PA is a “gangster party”. PA leaders have, however, countered that they have been open about their discussions with gang leaders and this group is merely one among many others that have been consulted in talks ahead of the formation of the party. The PA stated that calling the party an organisation exclusively for gangsters is an attempt to intimidate people into not joining the party. Despite police sources claiming that most of the 250 people who attended the pre-launch event were prominent gangsters and businessmen with underworld links, and that it was being led by members of the notorious 26s numbers prison gang, no one in the party’s leadership structures is a confirmed gang member. The PA has also stated they would not allow an active gang member to assume a leadership position in the party, though no South African citizen would be prevented from joining the party. ·         There is nothing on the PA’s website (www.paparty.org.za) that contradicts the information mentioned above.

From this (and I have no reason to disbelieve the information in the articles that I have read) it is clear that the PA wants to eradicate gangsterism, rather than be a party of gangsters. The description of the PA as “consisting of gangsters” therefore goes against a central conviction of the party and could only have caused it huge unnecessary harm. This was both inaccurate and unfair.

Based on all the information at my disposal I can accept that some members or supporters of the PA are gangsters. However, that probably goes for some other parties as well. The point is that nowhere does the PA encourage gangers to join its ranks because they are gangsters. Moreover, the fact that some of its leadership are convicted criminals, does in itself not mean that they are or were gangsters.

The fact that the PA is often described in the media as a party of gangsters should not serve as an excuse to perpetuate this description. Even the use of the word “reportedly”, which was edited out, would not have sufficiently rectified the matter.

This reminds me of an earlier ruling, where Mr Julius Malema complained that a newspaper erroneously stated that one of his houses was worth R16 million. One publication after the other merely quoted from each other, not bothering to find out the truth for itself. I then asked the architect for an official evaluation of the property, which amounted to R8.5 million.

The danger of this kind of reporting is that, if one repeats a false statement often enough, it becomes the truth in the eyes of the public.

Finding

The description of the PA as a party that consists of gangsters was in breach of Section 2.1 of the Press Code that states: “The press shall take care to report news truthfully, accurately and fairly.”

Sanction

Sapa is directed to apologise to the PA and to send out the following text:

Sapa circulated a story in December 2013 in which we inaccurately and unfairly depicted the newly formed Cape-based political party the Patriotic Alliance (PA) as a body that “consisted of gangsters”, causing it unnecessary harm.

The party lodged a complaint with the Press Ombudsman, Johan Retief, who said that the PA clearly stated that it rather wants to eradicate gangsterism.

“The description of the PA as ‘consisting of gangsters’ therefore goes against a central conviction of the party and therefore it could only have caused it huge unnecessary harm. This was both inaccurate and unfair,” he said.

Retief stated that, based on the information at his disposal, he could accept that some members or supporters of the PA were gangsters. “However, that probably goes for some other parties as well. The point is that nowhere does the PA encourage gangers to join its ranks because they are gangsters. Moreover, the fact that some of its leadership are convicted criminals, does in itself not mean that they are or were gangsters.”

He added that, although the PA is often described in the media as a party of gangsters, this should not serve as an excuse to perpetuate this description. Even the insertion of the word ‘reportedly’, which was edited out, would not have sufficiently rectified the matter.

“The danger of this kind of reporting is that, if one repeats a false statement often enough, it becomes the truth in the eyes of the public,” Retief said.

We regret any unnecessary harm that this description may have caused the PA.

Visit www.presscouncil.org.za for the full finding.

End of text

The possibility of a separate story about the PA is left up to Sapa’s discretion.

Johan Retief

Press Ombudsman

Secretary-General Kenny Kunene's open letter to the Public Protector

Dear Public Protector Thuli Madonsela

To start with, I want to commend you for the hard work you have done in the fight against state corruption. In many ways, you have shown what is possible when a Public Protector works hard and applies herself as you have done.

But over these last few days, while the circus of Mamphela Ramphele and the DA played out, I asked myself what you were making of it. Did you know something about it the rest of us didn’t?

Unhappy DA members are leaving that party. Many are joining the Patriotic Alliance or have already joined us. Those very same DA people told us months ago that Glynnis Breytenbach was being prepared to join the DA. They told us about the secret DA donor who was forcing DA leader Helen Zille to go into a coalition with Mamphela Ramphele. We struggled to believe it then. Now it’s all an accepted fact.

So when they told me the Public Protector is secretly part of the DA, and will become the head of the DA, I believed them. Crazy as it sounds, I realised it must be true.

Everything you have done, particularly in recent years, makes the point:

-       The speed with which you investigate cases reported by the DA is not the same as that reported by anyone else. It is as if you are on the DA’s speed dial.

-       You addressed a DA rally in 2012 and were unapologetic about it. You even tried to feign ignorance that you didn’t know it was a DA rally. Surely all those blue T-shirts would have been a giveaway. Don’t think we’re stupid. You’ve never spoken at another party’s rally. The Constitution requires that the Public Protector be independent, impartial and exercise her powers without fear or prejudice. Addressing the DA’s rally showed you are not impartial. You should have resigned if you are as ethical as you try to make out.

-       You investigated the DA government’s communications tender in the Western Cape and found them guilty in your provisional report. After input from Premier Helen Zille’s office, your final report absolved the Western Cape of corruption. How convenient for the DA. The Justice Factor on e.tv even called you the Loser of the Week when that happened.

-       Why have you not investigated the DA’s clear abuses of power in the Western Cape, such as the illegal evictions of the “Marikana” shack dwellers at Philippi? The DA is using state resources to protect privately owned land. That is illegal. But we don’t see any reports on that from you.

There are several other issues too; the facts show you are biased towards the DA. You are owned by white monopoly capital, which is protected by the DA. You are already secure in the knowledge that when your term ends, your next job will be at the DA.

We all agree there is corruption in the ANC-led government. It is right for you to investigate all of that corruption as per your constitutional mandate. But there have been times when you have been no better than the people you investigate. When your son crashed your state-owned BMW X6 into a wall, the media treated you with kid gloves, even after your daughter tweeted she was happy he did it because your new car was “so much sexier”.

The media is yet to complain about the hefty price tag of your state car, but we see angry headlines weekly about ministers and their cars. It is right to complain about government overspending, but why not when it applies to you?

Your son even arrogantly said: “Would you rather my mum travel in taxis while she’s waiting for her car?” The comments of both your children clearly show the principles (or lack of them) that they have been taught in your home and why they see state property as their playthings.

If the same thing had happened to any other person in government, they would have been ceremonially hung, drawn and quartered by the media; if you had investigated such a case, your recommendation would have been resignation.

The DA has many servants within the National Prosecuting Authority. We saw that with Breytenbach. They have also deployed many members within the upper echelons of the media; that much was clear when their party list came out. That’s why you are their PR project.

Just admit it, Ms Madonsela: You are a DA member. You will be heading up the party and be the DA’s presidential candidate for 2019. We know this is true, so stop hiding and just front up about it and tell us the truth. Resign and leave us in the hands of someone with integrity.

You have been used as a pawn and are a disgrace to the office of the Public Protector. You are no different from those who were used by the white apartheid regime to protect their own interests. I’m sorry if reading this letter has robbed you of time you would otherwise have dedicated to investigating those not liked by the DA or white monopoly capital.

When you incorrectly declared last year that you were not accountable to Parliament, you knew then what I know now: you are in fact only accountable to your secret masters. It’s now clearer why your deputy, Kevin Malunga, decided he wanted nothing more to do with you.

Many will question why I have written this. The answer is simple: My party and I are challenging the same DA-led government that you are protecting and defending in the Western Cape. I’m writing this because we will be in a direct election fight with the DA, and I can’t sit idly by and see their election plan come to fruition, with you an integral part of it.

For the first time, the DA has a credible challenger against them in the Western Cape. We beat them on the farms at the end of last month during the Vredendal by-elections. They’ve never been beaten by a small party like that before.

So yes, I’m happy to fight the DA. But I’d rather not have to fight you too. Please just give back the state’s “sexy car” and put on your blue T-shirt. I’m sure it fits you perfectly.

Kenny Kunene

Statement on the by-election results in Vredendal, Ward 4

The Patriotic Alliance did not achieve its desired results in yesterday’s by-election, but we proved that we are a political force and must be taken seriously. Indeed, our political opponents certainly no longer underestimate us. The presence of top officials from the province’s senior structures during this by-election have confirmed that and the amount of work that these parties had to do in order to beat us also shows that the Patriotic Alliance is a force to be reckoned with.

As of today, this party is officially two months old. We entered this by-election shortly after this party’s formation and signed up hundreds of IEC-registered voters as members in the Vredendal area. We have hundreds more who will be registered by the time of the national election. What is happening in Vredendal will expand across the rest of the province and the country.

It took the presence of at least four ANC ministers, including Trevor Manuel, wholesale intimidation of our voters (including physical violence against them) and what we believe was a shameless manipulation of the voters’ roll for the ANC to win this election. The DA, too, sent top officials, including Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille. Even with them having done that, they were not sure that they had indeed done enough. This election was not about winning a ward. It was about attempting to humiliate the Patriotic Alliance. But they failed to achieve that in any way. The green wave will continue to surge.

There were two voting stations yesterday, one on the farms and one in the township. On the farms, the ANC took 176 votes, the PA took 139, the DA took 121 and TPICO took three. There were five spoilt ballots. We were heartened that we were able to beat the DA in a place where they are often strong. In the township, the ANC received 562 votes and the DA 560 votes. The PA won 301. TPICO took the small remainder, less than 4%.

It goes without saying that the ANC and the DA are heavy political players and are well established. TPICO has four council seats in the municipality and the mayor himself contested for his party in this by-election. In this context, the level of support the PA received is extraordinary. It is a moral victory, if not an outright one. Almost a quarter of Vredendal’s people came out to give their vote to the PA. For a new party, that is extraordinary.

We, along with the DA and TPICO raised serious concerns about the fairness of this election. We as the PA have proof that the voters’ roll was seriously compromised in favour of the ANC and that the IEC attempted to frustrate our efforts to win here yesterday. This is a fight that goes far beyond the matter of one town council seat.

The IEC is this country’s most important institution. If we cannot trust it, then all hope for the future of democracy will be lost. The PA will not stand idly by and allow this to happen. We raised our concerns in writing with the IEC three days before the election and all of our fears were realised. The IEC will have to explain how these things could have occurred under their watch and flouting every principle they were established to defend.

All the same, our presence in this election has raised the level of political contestation considerably. Hundreds more voted in this election than in the municipal elections of 2011. The PA exposed the serious weaknesses of the other parties, who have had a chance to prove themselves in these communities for decades and have failed in numerous ways. Our presence finally made them realise the true cost of failing the people. We will continue to have a presence in Vredendal, which will ensure that the level of political engagement by the established parties will have to remain at a high level or we shall surely defeat them in the years to come. The PA exists because of dissatisfaction with how the big parties treat our people. If our existence alone changes that, then we have achieved our aims, whether we ever win one election or not. But we trust and believe that we will win in future.

We are grateful and humbled by the votes we received. These are people who have put their faith in the PA and we resolve that while we may fail to win all the votes, we will never fail any of our voters.

We must thank all our selfless and hard-working canvassers for their weeks of tireless effort. We thank the party members and volunteers in the community who stood shoulder to shoulder with us. Our heartfelt thanks go to Jacky Gorden, our candidate. Jacky, there will be another round and we will not lose again. We also want to thank the four white voters from Vredendal who cast their vote for us. They understand that we are a non-racial party that wants to put the needs of people (not a certain kind of person) first. People is why we are here and people will keep us here.

We have learnt much during these first two months and it will stand us in good stead for the bigger fight to come. The message is clear: we stand strong, with one aim, united and undeterred.

Never has anyone found more encouragement in the face of defeat. We came here with nothing and left knowing hundreds of compatriots are behind us.

Yours in patriotism,

Kenny Kunene

Secretary-General, Patriotic Alliance

The Patriotic Alliance's by-election in Vredendal

In three days, the country will see if it is possible for a party barely two months old to win an election.

Granted, it’s a by-election in a place few people have heard of. But it’s a place where the message of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has been heard daily by the mostly coloured population who live in the township of Vredendal Noord and the just more than 20 grape farms surrounding it.

The DA won the ward in 2011, but their councillor, Patrick Bok, walked over to the ANC, confident that he could take the people’s votes with him in a by-election. But at the beginning of January, he would have been distressed to see a stream of people in green T-shirts flooding the town. Suddenly, there were ever more locals in green. Particularly on the farms, the Patriotic Alliance has found the people very receptive to the promise of a party that could be a viable, strong alternative to the DA and the ANC. The PA’s campaign has been about constant visibility of canvassers, signing up hundreds of people as party members, handing out shirts, dishing out fliers, arranging competitions and braais, painting and fixing the houses of elderly women in the ward, offering a free legal service and following up with the freshly minted members about what they want to see changed in their ward. On Saturday, the plan was for 120 Cape Minstrels to parade through the town in support of the PA, something most people in the town have never seen.

In response, the ANC has attempted to discredit the party by instructing its canvassers to reference rumours in the media that the party is headed by gangsters, that its chairperson Jonas White was facing corruption charges from when he was still an ANC mayor, that if they vote for the Patriotic Alliance, their peaceful hamlet will be flooded with drugs and guns. It’s not a message many seem to find credible, although it has made some in the community doubt the green wave. But the PA goes back and puts its side. Only the vote tally will decide whose story was the most credible.

The Patriotic Alliance has no governance track record, but when you speak to people on the farms they’ll tell you that their circumstances have changed little over the last 20 years. In the township, many back yard dwellers will tell you they have been on the waiting list for a house for more than 15 years, yet they’ve seen people arriving from elsewhere to squat in the area, only to be placed in RDP houses within a year or even months. Whether it’s true or not is immaterial. What matters is the perception that the established parties have failed on many of the big issues.

In response, the ANC has ordered two ministers to the area in the past two weeks. Last weekend, it was Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson who, according to reports from those who were at her government meeting with farmworkers, spat fire and invective at the Patriotic Alliance. On Friday, it was Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, again heading to the farms. The DA sent Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille on Tuesday and reports were that Premier Helen Zille herself would attend the party’s rally in the town on Saturday.

All this for a ward of a few thousand people in a little “dorpie” 300km from Cape Town up the West Coast. If the PA is not a threat, as both parties have repeatedly said, why then treat it as one?
For these parties, this by-election is about much more than just Vredendal. It’s about trying to break the green machine before it has a chance to get up to speed. Because particularly in the Western Cape, this town has proven that the Patriotic Alliance could become a headache and a hurdle to both of the big parties’ Western Cape ambitions: to the DA’s attempt to keep their slim majority in the province and the ANC’s quest to win it back.

PA by-election candidate Jackeline Gorden on the campaign trail in Vredendal

Patriotic Alliance Statement on the Line Fisheries Debacle: DA fights only for white rights while ANC misfires across the board

DA fights only for white rights while ANC misfires across the board

Att: All Media

Statement by Gayton McKenzie, president of the Patriotic Alliance:

The ownership of line-fishing quotas since their last awarding in 2005 and before have been majority-white. Each of those quotas represent a business opportunity for the holder. It is thus clearly and primarily the rights of white line-fishermen that the DA has vowed to so staunchly defend over the last week. They do so with vigour and determination but cannot show the same enthusiasm when a black or coloured complainant begs them for help.

This is not a surprise, because the DA has long established itself as the watchdog of white monopoly capital interests. However, especially in the Western Cape, the DA has enjoyed the support of non-white voters, who hoped their faith in the DA would lead to change for them and their families. This has not happened and will not happen.

The rights of traditional communities, who have a long history and association with fishing, have been steadily eroded. As Chief Abré Hector of the recently established Traditional Khoisan Marine Hawkers Association, with whom the PA is consulting, has stated, the rights of the direct descendants of the “Khoi and Bushman peoples of Africa have been grossly infringed, from the days of colonial interests by men like Cecil John Rhodes and his peers in the British South Africa Company until today”.

These policies against our people have turned them into criminals who are forced to poach in their own waters. But they are the descendants of the people who laid eyes on those waters first in the predawn of history.

By resolutely looking the other way as non-white communities have been robbed of their rights, to allow big business almost total control of our national marine wealth, the DA has betrayed the trust of the Cape people who voted for them almost five years ago. Little has changed for these people – our people – in that time. The DA becomes volubly upset only when a small community of white fishermen are hard done by by the ruling party – whose motives must also be questioned.

The PA is totally opposed to any outcome that lowers job opportunities for people in fishing communities, especially those who work on the boats themselves and the hawkers and communities who rely on fish as part of their daily diet. It would be most unfortunate if Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson’s department, in an effort to promote transformation, actually makes life harder for historically disadvantaged communities. Her department has been dogged with scandal and reports of mismanagement. They no longer have the resources to protect and maintain our marine wealth, a lapse overseen by Joemat-Pettersson’s inept administration. This latest debacle must be viewed through the lens of the department’s past inadequacies. The task of fixing our fishing industry and the important economy around it is too much for them to deal with.

We as the Patriotic Alliance have made the reform, transformation and reinvigoration of the fishing industry one of our keystone policies. It is an issue that goes to the heart of many of the communities that support the party in coastal regions. We look forward to the day when the sea is returned to the people!

Gayton McKenzie

ISSUED BY THE PATRIOTIC ALLIANCE

www.paparty.org.za

On the withdrawal of Rashied Staggie from the Patriotic Alliance

Mr Staggie informed the party earlier this week of his decision to formally withdraw his support from our party and from politics in general at this time.
We fully understand what he and his family are going through. It is a difficult time for them.
We have accepted his resignation as an ordinary member of the PA.
Mr Staggie is a good man and we wish him and his family all the best.

Tweede Nuwejaar carnival

PA secretary-general Kenny Kunene will be parading today with the Patriotic Alliance Boys in the Tweede Nuwejaar Carnival in Cape Town.

The Patriotic Alliance has made a commitment to funding heritage institutions of local culture, such as the annual carnival. The PA puts the needs of local communities first.