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Viewing cable 08CAPETOWN210, THE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS: INSTRUCTING AND COURTING ANC

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08CAPETOWN210 2008-10-17 09:34 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Cape Town
VZCZCXRO2095
RR RUEHDU RUEHJO
DE RUEHTN #0210 2910934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170934Z OCT 08 ZDS
FM AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2850
INFO RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 6209
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 3172
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 2035
UNCLAS CAPE TOWN 000210 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (Corrected paras marking) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SF
 
SUBJECT:  THE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS:   INSTRUCTING AND COURTING ANC 
BREAK AWAY MEMBERS 
 
1. (SBU) Patricia DeLille, out-spoken leader of the Independent 
Democrats (ID) -- the third largest party in the Western Cape and 
the fourth in South Africa -- is doing double duty as some 
ruling African National Congress (ANC) member's contemplate 
leaving their party. In a recent article published in the Mail and 
Guardian, Ms. DeLille offered guidance on formulating a new 
political party.  Less publicly, she is courting ANC dissenters who 
are choosing to migrate to the ID. 
 
2.  (SBU) At a representational event hosted by the CG on October 13, 
Ms. DeLille spoke with the CG and with Dr. Laurine Platzky, an ANC 
Western province official about the fore mentioned article.  Dr. 
Platzky said, the article was a "common sense guideline" to 
developing a new party, but also noted that she was not planning to 
develop a new party any time soon.  DeLille said the guidance she 
provided in the article was exactly what she followed when she split 
from the Pan African Congress in 2004.  She also noted that although 
the ID has 200,000 registered voters, the party received 500,000 
votes in the last election. 
 
3.  (SBU) A devoted student of the National Democratic Institute, 
DeLille stressed the need to have a commitment to patience and 
persistence. In both her article and in her conversation with 
the CG, DeLille stated that the efforts of a new political party 
should be non-stop and never ending. She also noted the need to 
push the agenda of a new party at every possible 
opportunity, from "funerals and weddings" to what DeLille 
referred to as "rent-a-crowds."  When asked about financing for 
newly formed parties, she indicated that funding would always 
be a problem, but that it is not the main concern; relaying the 
party's ideological beliefs to the public is much harder than 
raising money, she said. In her article DeLille also 
addressed the issue of financing and stated that a new political 
party would need between 1-2 million rand to get started. She 
stressed that it is important to have about 20 people to set up 
a new party branch. DeLille added that six months is very little 
time to get a party ready for the next election, but if "Lekota's 
rebels" take over complete branches of the ANC, they have a chance. 
 
4.  (SBU) When asked by the CG why the disaffected ANC rebels might 
start a new party when there are dozens of other parties with which the 
could unite, DeLille indicated that in fact there are ANC members 
already defecting to the ID and that this shift had been reported in 
the press.  (Note:  South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission 
reported that 138 political parties are formally registered. 
Ninety-nine of them are registered to compete at the national level 
and the remainder for municipal elections.  To register a party, 
applicants must par Rand 500 (U.S. $ 1 - 10.2 Rand), and submit 
signatures of 500 registered voters.  End Note.)  DeLille said that 
the ID could not allow these potential new members from the ANC to 
merely "drift" into her party.  Rather, she and other ID members are 
actively courting disenfranchised members of the ANC, providing 
rationale for them to link their resources and membership with the 
ID. 
 
5.  (SBU) Note.  Ms. DeLille has recently returned from the USA as a 
guest of the National Democratic Institute and an attendee at the 
Democratic Party National Convention.  She told the CG that her 
"take- aways" from that experience were the increased and very 
effective use of technology in courting new members as well as the 
Qeffective use of technology in courting new members as well as the 
need to increase diversity, including young people, as a means of 
increasing the party base.  End note.