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The ANC officials held their regular meeting on Monday, 11 April 2011. As this meeting was in the middle of the local government elections campaigns, the focus was on the progress made in the preparations of local government elections and it received reports on the progress of the campaign.

Media as main opposition
The officials noted the role played by the media as the main opposition in these elections through the following, amongst others:
The release of the so-called "plot against Zuma" in the middle of the election when the journalist himself explains that the report is based on the information collected before the National General Council, which was successfully held in September 2010.
The recycling of the story about white resident associations in some rural towns, a problem that the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has been dealing with over the last eighteen months, and reported it as a new story.
The Malema misrepresentation by both print and electronic media where it alleged untruths about the ANC Youth League President's utterance about the ANC President Zuma.
The celebration by Justice Malala in both e-tv and in The Times newspaper that the "ANC has lost municipalities on the 18 May 2011".
The selective negative coverage of the ANC campaign is curious. The officials agreed that this is a serious attempt to defocus the campaign and therefore agreed that the campaign must be intensified.

The best coverage the ANC gets is of the one of our leaders in action, doing door-to-door work. We accepted that the stories about those who thank the ANC for providing houses, water and electricity while bringing to our attention that we should attend to the quality of the streets in townships are not sensational enough to sell papers.

The officials expressed appreciation of media houses, particularly electronic media that cover our campaign directly and report about both positive and negative encounters with society. The officials expressed satisfaction and happiness about the campaign work done by both leadership and volunteers of the ANC.

Selection of Mayoral candidates
The officials also had a fruitful engagement with the provinces on the selection of mayoral candidates. The reports from the provinces were accepted as work in progress and the provinces were encouraged to continue engaging the regions and the alliance partners in the process.

The officials appreciated the agreement reached among all the alliance partners and other progressive forces on the Mayoral candidate for the Cape Town Metro, being Tony Erenrecht. The officials and the provincial chairpersons and secretaries reaffirmed the longstanding practice of announcing the mayoral candidates after the elections.

There was realisation that both the opposition and media were desperate to drag us into the terrain of drawing focus to the mayoral candidates than the actual campaign work done by the ANC.

Return of Comrade Neville Mompati
The ANC welcomed the leader of COPE in the Northern Cape, Comrade Neville Mompati, back home. This was in response to our call on many of those who left the ANC to return home because it is cold out there.

Many prominent members of the ANC who left are returning home and we welcome them. Even the most radical when leaving the ANC will be welcome, particularly those disillusioned with right wing alliances that certain leaders want to forge under the cloak of opposition unity.

Comrade Neville grew up in the ANC and would not be satisfied without what he knows best, the ANC politics. Welcome back. The ANC has resolved to work towards bringing back all those of our members that left the ANC.

President Jacob Zuma`s Birthday
The ANC wished its President, Comrade Jacob Zuma a Happy 69th Birthday and affirmed that all of us as the membership and leadership of the ANC throughout the country have confidence on the leadership of Comrade Jacob Zuma. May he enjoy many years to come.

Happy birthday Zuma, Msholozi, Nxamalala!!