ISSUED BY MISS LAUREN WINCHESTER
PARTY SPOKESPERSON
IFP INFORMATION CENTRE

THE  PEOPLE SAY   "YES"

IFP INFORMATION CENTRE : NOVEMBER 19, 1998  

Thousands support IFP call for death penalty referendum

In a phenomenal wave of support, the people of KwaZulu-Natal said "Yes, Yes, Yes" to the IFP’s call for a referendum on the reinstatement of the death penalty. Today tables were set up at key points throughout the province and within the first hour, 3 000 people had signed the IFP’s petition in Pietermaritzburg alone.

Jammed lines and long queues

The IFP Head Office phone lines were jammed with calls of support from schools, old age pensioners, shop keepers, professionals and mothers. IFP MPs manning tables reported people queuing in long lines to Sign Against Crime; and in the Inner and Outer West areas of the Durban Metro region, IFP representatives spent the morning copying hundreds of additional petition forms, which had begun to run thin due to the unexpectedly high demand. KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC, Prince V T Zulu and KwaZulu-Natal Welfare and Pensions MEC, Prince G L Zulu joined in canvassing support for Sign Against Crime.

Let the people decide

The incredible response that the IFP has received in its campaign for a referendum on the reinstatement of the death penalty should serve as a loud and clear signal to those members of the ANC government who are choosing to block their ears to the voice of the people. If this government genuinely believes and is committed to upholding the basic fundamentals of democracy, then it had better wake up to the fact that black and white alike are shouting from the rooftops, "Let the people decide".

The ANC professes to be supporting a "listening to the people" campaign. But according to grass root supporters, approximately 80% of ANC members would like to see the death penalty reinstated. Feigning blind ignorance in this respect will cost the ANC dearly.

Parliamentary processes

Allegations that Sign Against Crime is just another election ploy are rubbish. For the past year, the IFP has been initiating various actions in the national parliament to bring about conditions which will allow existing clauses in the constitution to be amended so that capital punishment can be applied in certain cases. This is therefore not something new. It has been an over-riding concern of the IFP’s for a long time.

Sign Against Crime goes online

In an effort to make Sign Against Crime more accessible, the IFP has launched the campaign on the Internet. People may "sign" the petition by visiting the IFP web site at www.ifp.org.za.

Future plans

Due to the overwhelming response and in order to accommodate the vast numbers who wish to Sign Against Crime, the IFP will be setting up tables for two hours every Thursday morning until such time as the target of one million signatures is achieved.

For further information or clarification, please contact Miss Lauren Winchester at the IFP Information Centre on 031 3074962.