ANC ditches tech

By Christelle du Toit, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 18 Dec 2007

The use of scanning technology to count votes for the ANC`s new leadership was rejected this weekend at the party`s 52nd National Conference, in Polokwane.

During the opening plenary, a number of provinces, led by the ANC Youth League (Ancyl), opposed the use of scanning technology to count votes for the ruling party`s new national leadership.

Ancyl spokesman Sihle Zikalala said the ANC was a "transparent organisation" and this principle would be better promoted by a manual vote count.

Defence minister and party chairman Mosiuoa Lekota said he could not understand why electronic vote counting would not be transparent. However, he referred the matter to a closed plenary, where it was decided only to rely on manual processes.

During the interaction between Lekota and delegates to try to come to a decision on the use of technology, the chairman was told that he would not be allowed to "intimidate" branch representatives opposed to such a move.

Earlier on the opening day, the ANC`s electoral commission chairwoman, Bertha Gxowa, had attempted to explain to delegates that manually filled-in ballots would be scanned in and counted electronically, with manual counting being used if there were any disputes.

Delegates from KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, particularly, opposed such a process.

Meeting targets

Amid the political tensions, President Thabo Mbeki, in his state of the nation and party political address, did, however, touch on the role technology plays in the party`s developmental agenda.

Speaking about the party`s, and government`s, international activities, Mbeki referred to the New Partnership for Africa`s Development (Nepad)-driven East Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy) project. He said it will create the Nepad ICT Broadband Network, "aimed at helping the continent free itself from its dependence on expensive satellite systems to carry voice and data traffic".

He also lauded the Nepad e-Schools initiative as one that "will ensure schools across the continent have access to modern communication technology".

The initiative is "very central to the challenge of skills development in all our [African] countries, and meeting the millennium development goals in this regard," he added.