VZCZCXRO3710
RR RUEHDU
DE RUEHTN #0079/01 0891204
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 301204Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3031
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0084
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 6348
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 3249

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAPE TOWN 000079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PRETORIA PLEASE PASS TO JOHANNESBURG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2019 
TAGS: PREL KDEM SF
SUBJECT: ANC INSIDERS DISCUSS THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS 
 
Classified By: Alberta Mayberry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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The Chief Whip of the ANC, Mr. Mynami Booi 
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¶1. (C)  On March 6, Poloff met with Mr. Mynami Booi, the 
Chief Whip of the African National Congress (ANC), and number 
69 on the party list, to discuss the upcoming elections.  Mr. 
Booi said that he is likely to remain the Chief Whip after 
the new government is formed in April, but said he was not 
sure whether the current speaker would remain the same.  Booi 
explained that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the 
ANC would meet immediately following the election to appoint 
key positions in Parliament.  The Speaker then will convene 
Parliament so that a president can be elected.  In response 
to Poloffs question regarding what will happen to ANC 
President Jacob Zuma if his corruption case goes forward, 
Booi said &there is no way Zuma will step down as President 
of the ANC, despite his corruption trial.8 
 
¶2.  (C) When discussing Western Cape Provincial elections, 
Booi said the ANC Provincial Executive would debate the three 
names for Premier: Lynne Brown (current Premier of the 
Western Cape), Mcebisi Skwatsha (ANC Chairman for the Western 
Cape) and Chris Neeson ( a business man and a relative 
unknown in politics) and make a formal recommendation to the 
NEC.  When asked why Skwatsha would be included in the top 
three names when he was essentially a &lame duck8 within 
the ANC, Booi said many people in the Western Cape still like 
Skwatsha.  Note:  Neeson,s name does not appear on any of 
the ANC,s lists posted on its website, although both Booi 
and Tahir Salih (see below) said Neeson is in the running and 
Booi even encouraged Poloff to meet with Neeson and gave 
Poloff his phone number. End note. 
 
3.( SBU) Poloff and Booi also discussed whether SA will be 
ready to proceed with the elections as planned on April 22 if 
overseas voters are allowed to vote, even the ones who are 
not already registered.  Booi said, &I hope the Independent 
Electoral Commission is ready and does the right thing,8 but 
did not elaborate.  Booi finished the meeting by saying he 
hopes U.S. President Obama will attend &Zuma,s inauguration 
in April.8 
 
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Tahir Salie, ANC member and right hand man to Presidential 
Advisor Ibrahim Rasool 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶4. (C ) On March 9, Poloff met with Mr. Tahir Salie, an ANC 
member and right hand man to Mr. Ibrahim Rasool, former 
Premier of the Western Cape and currently an advisor to the 
President of SA, Kgalema Motlanthe.  Salie discussed his 
views of the upcoming election with Poloff.  When asked 
whether Zuma would consider withdrawing as the ANC,s choice 
for President, he said the only way that would happen is if 
Mandela told him to step down.  Furthermore, Salie said that 
he and others in the ANC believe that the only reason Mandela 
attended a recent ANC rally in the Eastern Cape was in 
exchange for Zuma agreeing to step down as the ANC,s choice 
for President if Mandela told him to as a result of Zuma,s 
corruption trial &getting too hot.8  If Zuma were to step 
down, Salie thinks Baleka Mbete, the current Vice-President, 
would be the party,s likely candidate, not Mothlante.  The 
NEC believes Mothlante is too independent and the NEC does 
not like that, said Salie.  When discussing ANC Youth League 
Qnot like that, said Salie.  When discussing ANC Youth League 
President Julius Malema and his influence over both the party 
and the voters, Salie said, &Zuma owes Malema for wining him 
the party,s Presidency at the ANC Convention in Polikwane in 
December 2007.8   Furthermore, Salie thinks Malema,s 
comments actually win the ANC votes rather than cost them 
votes. 
 
¶5. ( C) When discussing the race for the Western Cape, Salie 
believes either current Premier Lynne Brown or newcomer Chris 
Neeson would be appointed premier if the ANC wins the Western 
Cape.  However, he believes the Democratic Alliance (DA) will 
win the province.  He said Hellen Zille, the leader of the DA 
appeals to many people in the Western Cape, regardless of 
racial lines; due to her proven track record of service 
delivery during her tenure as Mayor of Cape Town.  Salie also 
said that Congress of the People (COPE) is having trouble 
raising money and approached former Western Cape Premier, 
Ibrahim Rasool, as well as himself for donations, which they 
both declined to give.  One example of COPE,s lack of funds 
is the fact that there are no COPE campaign posters in the 
Western Cape, he said.   In contrast to COPE,s lack of 
funds, the ANC has a nine million rand ($900,000) campaign 
 
CAPE TOWN 00000079  002 OF 002 
 
 
budget in the Western Cape, more than any other province, 
said Salih. 
 
¶6. (C) Salie said the ANC is concerned that Rasool will jump 
to COPE. Rasool was largely popular during his time as the 
Western Cape Premier and would pull a large number of colored 
voters, which is key in the Western Cape.  To avoid Rasool 
going to COPE, the ANC has &promised8 him one of three key 
positions once the new government is elected: Deputy Minister 
of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry, or 
Minister in the Presidency.   When the ANC lists were 
published and Rasool saw he was number six on the Provincial 
to National List, he wrote a letter to ANC Secretary General 
Gwede Mantashe expressing his anger that he was not on the 
National to National list since he was promised a Cabinet 
level position if he remained with the ANC.  Rasool was again 
&promised8 by top ANC officials that he would still receive 
one of the three previously mentioned positions.  Salie also 
noted that COPE offered the Western Cape Premiership to 
Rasool if he joined COPE, which Rasool declined.  Several 
times throughout the conversation, Salie expressed his 
disappointment that COPE was not better organized and that 
there seems to be so much infighting among COPE party 
leaders.  He also said that former President Thabo Mbeki is 
likely to join COPE before the elections.  Comment. Salie,s 
seemingly genuine disappointment expressed several times 
throughout the conversation in COPE,s poor organizational 
structure seems to indicate that he may have originally 
considering joining COPE, especially if what he said about 
Mbeki joining COPE is true since he (and Rasool) are both 
close to Mbeki .  End comment. 
MAYBERRY