The ‘doomsday’ dilemma: ANC, EFF and MK in pre-election spotlight:
Less than a month before the elections, the ANC, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK) are often mentioned in the same breath in online news.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is only too happy to reinforce this trend, having coined the phrase “doomsday coalition” to describe these three parties. Is there anything to these baleful warnings, or is it all smoke and mirrors in the campaign circus?
My database of 313 top online news articles from last month in IOL, News24 and TimesLive is no electoral crystal ball. Still, it does reveal fascinating and potentially unsettling insights about how parties are positioned ahead of possibly the most critical polls since 1994.
The first thing that stands out is the amount of media attention given to different parties.
Predictably, “ANC” tops the list, with 477 mentions in the 313 articles. The MK party, already looking like a surprise package in these elections, is second: there were 211 mentions of “MK” and 62 mentions of “MKP”, adding up to 277.
Outsize media attention has gone to sussing out this controversial new kid on the block, its court battles and its rapid firing and hiring of leaders.
“DA” has 194 mentions. Meanwhile, the attention on the MK party seems to have overshadowed the EFF, which received only 66 mentions.
The single word most associated with “ANC” in last month’s news was “EFF”. The two parties’ names appeared together 24 times in the database. Of these, the MK party is mentioned together with the other two parties seven times.
Who is responsible for this? DA leader John Steenhuisen, who takes every opportunity he can get to warn about what might happen if the three parties band together in a coalition.
Steenhuisen is using a well-established technique that is easy to describe using constellation analysis, a set of tools I use constantly.
He groups his most significant opponents into a constellation of ideas and throws negative judgments at them. That is no criticism of him — every politician does that.
But the extent to which the ANC, EFF and MK have been grouped together in the mainstream news media shows the staggering success of his strategy.
Reinforcing this effect, “EFF” is strongly associated with “MK” in the news, and vice versa.
Although Steenhuisen is responsible for five out of 11 instances in which these parties were mentioned together, Malema has also publicly “alluded that his party could work with” the MK party after the elections.
The second-strongest association with the ANC in last month’s news is the word “member”, which is used frequently to refer to the question of Jacob Zuma’s party membership.
Secretary general Fikile Mbalula declared that “he is no longer a member.” This didn’t stop the ANC from calling him to a disciplinary hearing for campaigning for the MK Party and then putting it off until after the elections, purportedly to avert violence.
Third, the word “vote” is strongly associated with the ruling party as it campaigns desperately to avoid losing its majority for the first time.
The MK party has served up plenty of intrigue ahead of the election. Unsurprisingly, the strongest association with its name is “Jacob Zuma”, often appearing in the phrase “Jacob Zuma’s MK party”. However, the second-strongest association with the MK party, the word “leader”, tells of internecine conflict.
Apart from Zuma, three men are mentioned as leaders in the MK. These include Bonginkosi Khanyile, who was accused of provoking the July 2021 riots, and Visvin Reddy, who was charged with calling for violence if the courts and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) ruled against the party.
was axed as MK’s youth leader for unclear reasons. Reddy has retained his role in the party.
The other man mentioned as a leader in the MK party, Jabulani Khumalo, is fighting with Zuma for control of the party. Khumalo registered the party, but on 23 April, Zuma told him he was replacing him as party president. In return, Khumalo suspended Zuma from the party and asked the IEC to remove him from its list. Political analysts doubt the divisions will dent the MK’s burgeoning support.
Intervention needed to pull steel industry from the brink: ArcelorMittal SA expects to make a final decision by August on the closure of its long steel operation, which puts 3 500 jobs at risk
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Diary: A new gallery opening, Sjava deluxe edition, and opera at Ster-Kinekor:
New Kalashnikovv Gallery opening in Cape Town
The Johannesburg gallery Kalashnikovv is spreading its artistic wings to Cape Town. It is opening a new space in Cape Town at 61 Loop Street on Thursday 16 May.
It will form part of the growing central Cape Town art hub, situated within walking distance of museums, project spaces and other galleries.
Loop Street Kalashnikovv represents a new era of collaboration, instigation, conceptualisation, activation and integration, the gallery said in a media statement.
“Artists tell stories through their work, stories of the disasters of the moment, of the hopes and dreams that defy realities,” it added.
“Artists dream for us, elucidate the obscured, untangling the knots of complicated narratives so we not only connect with each other but with ourselves in new ways.”
Artists whose work you can look forward to viewing on upcoming exhibition include Turiya Magadlela, Senzeni Marasela, Conrad Botes, Charity Vilakazi, Tiago Rodrigues, Nico Athene, Tiny Makwakwa, Khaya Sineyile, Roger Ballen, Tyra Naidoo, Simon Moshapo Jr, Boemo Diale and Theresa-Anne Mackintosh.
Sjava releases deluxe edition, tours Durban and Joburg
Following the success of the 18-track studio album Isibuko, released in January last year, singer Sjava added three new tracks and dropped a deluxe version of the album on 10 May.
“The support Isibuko has received over the past year has been very humbling. This deluxe is really for the fans who’ve supported the album and have wanted more from it,” Sjava said in a statement.
“This is a thank you to them.”
Much to the delight of Sjava fans, and lovers of Isibuko, the deluxe version promises to continue the reflective and emotional journey that listeners have been on since January last year.
As at January of this year, the album had reached platinum, with 54,2 million streams worldwide, and continues to chart to this day.
He will also be taking his Isibuko Tour to Durban’s Playhouse on June 22 and the Joburg Theatre on 12 and 13 July. Tickets are available from R500.
New season of operas on the big screen at Ster-Kinekor cinemas
The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, is into its 17th season at select Ster-Kinekor and Cinema Nouveau cinemas.
They are Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Puccini’s La Rondine and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
From 17 May, audiences will have the opportunity to watch soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim perform as the star-crossed lovers of Roméo et Juliette.
“What began as an experiment 17 years ago has become a staple experience for opera lovers all over the world,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s Maria Manetti Shrem general manager.
“Our 2023–24 season in cinemas reflects how opera is changing at the Met, where we’re balancing timeless classics with accessible new work that is advancing the art form and attracting younger and more diverse audiences.”
Bookings are open, with each production limited to four shows.
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