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A mixed response to Kasrils’s call to South African voters
JOHN HAYLETT examines the political reaction to the veteran anti-apartheid activist’s rejection of the African National Congress

Former intelligence services minister Ronnie Kasrils grabbed the headlines this week, telling South Africa’s voters not to back the ANC in next month’s general election.

Kasrils joined former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, ex-Gauteng provincial Communist Party (SACP) leader Vishwas Satgar and ex-SACP spokesman Mazibuko Jara in launching their Vukani! Sidikiwe! (Wake up! We are fed up!) campaign at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

They called on voters to either spoil their ballot on May 7 or to vote “tactically” for a smaller opposition party, of which there is no shortage.

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