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INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 000666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL SF
SUBJECT: ZUMA CONTINUES HARD PRESS FOR AFRIKANER SUPPORT 
 
PRETORIA 00000666  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU)  One of the more interesting trends to emerge during 
this election season is the intense focus by Jacob Zuma and 
the African National Congress (ANC) in lobbying the Afrikaner 
vote ahead of the election.  Many pundits and political 
analysts have speculated that the Afrikaner vote would go to 
a mix of the Congress of the People (COPE), Democratic 
Alliance (DA), or the Freedom Front Plus (FF ).  These 
prognostications, however, have not stopped the ANC from 
trying to win Afrikaner support.  Zuma last week spoke to two 
separate Afrikaner business forums, ANC Youth League 
President Julius Malema visited the Afrikaner community of 
Orania, and there is speculation that the ANC may be close to 
forming a post-election alliance with the FF .  End Summary. 
 
------------------------- 
Zuma Seeks Afrikaner Vote 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Zuma during the week of March 23 spoke at two 
gatherings in Pretoria: one with the Afrikaner trade union 
organization, Solidarity, and another with the Afriforum. 
During the meeting with Afriforum -- an organization 
including the Afrikaans Language and Culture Movement, the 
Afrikanerbond, AgriSA, the Dutch Reformed Church, 
Rapportryers, and the Voortrekkers -- Zuma spoke about ways 
in which the ANC can do better in addressing crime, health, 
and education.  On April 1, Zuma spoke to a second Afriforum 
meeting in Johannesburg.  Zuma noted at the meeting that "of 
all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the 
Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of 
the word."  (Note:  The DA issued a statement noting how 
offensive such a remark is to South Africans of British 
heritage.  Zuma,s statement also tempts the reaction to many 
other European colonials, such as the Poles and other Eastern 
Europeans and the Italians and other Southern Europeans who 
have had a presence in South Africa since the nineteenth 
century.  End Note.)  ANC Treasurer, and one of the most 
prominent Afrikaans-speaking ANC leaders, Matthews Phosa 
publicly implored Afrikaners not to leave the country.  He 
spoke to the gathering of the Afrikaner community at Zuma's 
request and said, "South Africa needs you."  Phosa also 
called on Afrikaners present at the meeting "to give those 
who left (the country) good reason to come back."  The ANC 
admitted making mistakes in governing, but pledged to do 
better. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Zuma's remarks to Afrikaner interest groups comes 
at the same time that ANC Youth League President Julius 
Malema made a visit to the Afrikaner enclave of Orania in 
Northern Cape.  Orania leaders invited Malema to visit the 
enclave because they believe the ANC will be sympathetic to 
their push for an independent homeland.  Orania Beweging 
Carel Boshoff told reporters this week that he visited Zuma 
at his Johannesburg home in January and had a "very 
constructive meeting."  Zuma reportedly told the FF  that he 
wanted to visit Orania before the election.  Malema described 
the meeting as very helpful and urged Afrikaners to continue 
playing a vital role in South Africa. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  University of South Africa professor Dirk Kotze on 
March 27 told Poloff that the ANC is pushing for Afrikaner 
votes because it wants to form an alliance with the FF  after 
the national election on April 22.  Kotze, who is extremely 
Qthe national election on April 22.  Kotze, who is extremely 
close to FF  President Pieter Mulder, said the largely 
Afrikaner party wants to form an alliance with the ANC.  He 
said that Mulder would join the ruling party in a coalition 
"right now if he thought he could get away with it." 
According to Kotze, Mulder is worried that if he forms a 
partnership with the ANC now, FF  will lose votes to the DA. 
Kotze said, "Mulder is very aware of what could happen to his 
party."  Kotze also noted that the ANC has as much of a 
chance of winning Afrikaner support as does COPE or the DA. 
 
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Comment 
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¶5. (SBU)  The ANC's actions and Zuma's statements mark what 
for the ruling party is a brilliant tactic ahead of the 
election this month.  If the ANC's two-thirds majority in 
 
PRETORIA 00000666  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Parliament is in peril, forming a strategic alliance with the 
FF  would help push the ruling party higher in terms of 
representation -- especially at the provincial level. 
Critics of this potential alliance suggest that there may 
something cynical and sinister to this strange marriage of 
bedfellows, but others recall that not long ago the former 
apartheid National Party (the NATs) joined the ANC, pushing 
their majority to over 70 percent, and continue to the 
present working with them in Parliament.  The FF  earned less 
than .7 percent of the vote in 2004 (4 seats), but could help 
the ANC if other parties form coalitions or take seats in the 
legislature away from the ruling party.  While there are few 
signs of Afrikaners voting for the ANC or strongly supporting 
the party, there also are few signs that this segment of the 
South African population is prepared to vote for anyone other 
than the FF . 
LA LIME