South African political parties should not count on the types of Internet social networks that were key in US president Barak Obama's campaign. This is because social networks are not as extensive here as in the US, says political journalist Mark Gevisser.
However, Gevisser believes cellular phones will play a vital, if possibly contentious, role.
Speaking at the Hasso Platner Ventures Africa conference this week, Gevisser said that, despite a lot of talk by political parties about using new media and social network techniques, these will not be as successful as in the US.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) and breakaway party the Congress of the People (Cope) have been particularly vocal about their use of new media.
“In order to use these networks successfully, it has to be a top-down decision to make use of something that is already there.”
However, in Gevisser's opinion, cellphones would play a major role. “If I had my way, ANC president Jacob Zuma should pull out his cellphone every time he sings 'Lethu Mashini Wami,” Gevisser said.
“Lethu Mashini Wami” is the title of the song that has become Zuma's trademark campaign ditty and literally means “Bring me my machine”, but it could also mean “Bring me my machinegun”.
Gevisser believes “machine” should be synonymous with cellphone.
However, the use of mobile phones, especially around or near polling booths during the 22 April general elections, could be contentious.
“At the ANC's national congress, in Polokwane, a year ago, there was a lot of debate among delegates about cellphones near the party polling booths. Some were really afraid that this allowed them to be monitored, especially on their vote casting, and others were worried about messages of encouraging votes for particular candidates as voters entered the booths,” he said.
ANC policy towards the overall issue of ICT and the role it could play in the development of the country is limited. It only received the briefest mention in the party's manifesto as part of an overall commitment to improve infrastructure.
Gevisser said he had not been able to access Cope's Web site to see if it had any particular policy towards ICT, and did not mention any of the other political parties.
“This indicates a very limited understanding of the importance of ICT,” he noted.
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