Tony Leon, Patricia De Lille and Mangosuthu Buthelezi are among the political leaders who have taken up an invitation to keep their own Web-logs (blogs) in the run-up to the local elections on Wednesday, 1 March.
Mail & Guardian Online, in conjunction with the New Media Lab of Rhodes University`s School of Journalism, invited all the political parties to blog their activities and thoughts - six of the largest parties took up the offer.
"The one notable exception, which we are disappointed at, is the ANC, which decided not to write a blog," says Matthew Buckland, publisher of the Mail & Guardian Online.
The blogs went live on Friday, says Buckland, adding that he hopes the political leaders will publish on a daily basis.
"This initiative is an opportunity for readers to see another side of their political leaders and put comments directly to them via their blogs."
Vincent Maher, head of the Rhodes University New Media laboratory, believes the level of commitment shown by the politicians to the creation of a public space on the Internet indicates an important step in SA`s democracy.
Buckland notes that such a forum for political debate is an African 'first`. "It is definitely the first time in Africa that major politicians are blogging online as part of their campaigns," he says.
The blog can be found at http://electionblogs.mg.co.za.
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