Make sure your vote really does count on May 7

WITH all the ANC's pre-election rhetoric floating around, intelligent South Africans must ensure that their valuable votes really count. Voting for a minor party is tantamount to a spoilt vote and we need to counter the ANC's massive rural support base which, sadly, doesn't seem capable of thinking for themselves.

These same supporters, furthermore, are blissfully unaware of the ANC government's shocking mismanagement, fraud and corruption record, nor of the ever-widening gap between the ANC elite and themselves.

Were the situation not so serious, with all the propaganda currently spewing from the mouths of ANC politicians, it would be laughable! It is patently evident that they have dusted off their "dirty tricks" election manual, with more lies, false promises and food parcels floating around.

It is interesting, also, to observe how these desperados tried to garner political points from our recent Freedom Day celebrations! Fuelled by his huge ego, Thabo Mbeki took the country a few steps backwards, but Jacob Zuma has taken giant retro leaps.

He is, in fact, an embarrassment to intelligent South Africans and is clearly above the law, judging by government's intervention in various criminal allegations against him.

Let's hope the IEC will be keeping its eyes open for any ANC transgressions, such as bussing in voters to its weak constituencies and filtering pre-filled ballot boxes into the system, a la Robert Mugabe. The upcoming election must be free and fair so we can rid ourselves of a morally corrupt government and its racist policies, such as employment equity, affirmative action and BEE.

Les Vincent, Durban