SDF South Africa First Regional Convention Today October 15 : The Stakes!

CROSS SECTION OF SDF  SA MILITANTS

The Regional Conference  of Cameroon’s leading opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party, in South Africa is underway , today, Saturday October 15, 2016 in Johannesburg. 

Reports from the SDF SA secretariat indicated that, the delegates from the nine provinces that make up the country have been converging on Johannesburg earlier on.  Though the issues to be discussed are not fully known, there are indications that the conference is in preparation for the 2017 SDF Convention in Cameroon and the 2018 elections.

“The SDF SA Region begins to nurse ambitions of going to contest National Executive Committee, NEC positions at the convention in 2017 that would allow it to directly contribute, support and impact our great party. When primaries are declared open by NEC we will conduct regional primaries as a region to elect those we want to be deployed to NEC,” read a statement from SDF SA’s Regional Secretary, Roland Chebefuh. 

SDF YOUTH LEAGUE 

The presence of the delegations from the South African ruling African National Congress, ANC,  Zimbabwean opposition parties and the Chairman of the African Diaspora Forum (the biggest federation of migrant associations) and his entourage, was also announced by the same secretariat.

SDF to Free Cameroon in 2018

The preparations for the October 15 SDF SA Convention, was reinforced during the September 24 2016 General Meeting of the party.  Addressing militants during that meeting, the SDF SA Regional Chair said the party was ready to take power in Cameroon in 2018 and that mistakes of the past must be avoided.

“Our fathers have done their part, let’s do ours. 

SDF SA CHAIR: MILTON TAKA

Let’s take the responsibility in freeing Cameroon come 2018. This will not happen in beer parlors, criticizing without constructive proposals neither on the streets but a collective effort. 

We must be highly represented and all other Diaspora branches will support the SA delegation. Any delegate must be ready to push hard the Diaspora agenda at the convention,” the SDF Regional Chair for SA, Milton Taka said.

Cameroon Embassy blamed!

After announcing that the Elecam officials’ registered 621 voters in 2016,  SDF officials seriously blamed the Cameroon Embassy/ High Commission in Pretoria for tacitly disenfranchising voters.

“The embassy is contradicting Elecam rules with their request for compatriots to own SA permits before they could be registered.  I think every Cameroonians with any identification document should be allowed to register. No law prevents them from doing so. Being against Biya does not deny you the right to vote. There is need for us to write a letter to Elecam,” argued the Chairman of the  SDF Albert Mukong Turffontein (Johannesburg) Ward, Albert Mokolo. 

“With respect to voter registration, our focus in the Diaspora should be to take ELECAM or registration staff to the people as this is more cost effective. Elecam should move to where people are and get them registered.

 We should also pressurize ELECAM to recognise the concentrated registration points as voting districts or polling stations come election day and not focusing all voting at the High Commissions / Embassies only. This will definitely increase voter turnout as logistics and long hours from work will no longer be the excuse for the electorate not to register,” added another angry militant.

SDF SA also boasted about its achievements as a province.

“As a province we have carried out many projects like the Cameroon Black Friday Movement CDBFM, the Sandton protest and many others, all in success. CDBFM was politically a brain child of SDF-SA.  We denounced government's irresponsibility for the death of Monique, bad roads, students studying in mud houses, hopeless youths etc. We assisted the SDF-USA to continue the CDBFM and we have supported many compatriots in difficulty here,” said the SDF Second Vice, Paul Nkamankeng.

Discussions during the SDF SA September 24 general meeting also focused on three  motions that if approved by the Regional convention (of today October 15)  should be submitted at the National Convention in February 2017. 

They include the request for, the separation of powers between the presidential candidate and chair of the party, elections into all posts of responsibility especially that of Secretary General and a motion to separate the powers between NEC, NAC and NIC as per section 11.5c of the party’s constitution.