A HEART AFLAME - 500 YEARS OF JOHN CALVIN

July 2009 will mark the 500th Anniversary of the birth of John Calvin.

Salt and Light will be focusing on the life and legacy of Reformer John Calvin on Radio Tygerberg (104FM) this Tuesday (23 June) at 8:30pm. Those outside of Cape Town can listen online at www.104FM.co.za. The July edition of JOY! Magazine includes a 3 page cover article on 500 years of John Calvin.

The outlawed and exiled French Reformer, John Calvin, became the most influential man of his age and his teachings have been recognized to have provided some of the most important foundations in the shaping of Great Britain and the United States of America in particular.

Election Woes go on in the UCDP

As indicated in the last article, the UCDP like many political parties, is smarting from the poor results in the election of 22 April 2009.
The party lost two seats one each from the National Assembly and the North West Legislature. The seat in the National Council of Provinces is also gone as the party qualifies for a seat as a special delegate only and will not have a permanent seat in the NCOP.
Of the ten seats for delegates to the NCOP six are set aside for permanent delegates, those who operate from the NCOP in Cape Town while the other four are set aside for special delegates, members who are full time in their provincial legislatures and go occasionally to attend NCOP sittings in Cape Town.
The allocation of seats for permanent delegate to the NCOP from the North West Legislature is as follows: ANC 4, COPE 1, and DA 1 while those of the special delegates have been allocated as follows: ANC 3 and UCDP 1.
This is the worst election the UCDP has gone through since it contested national and provincial elections in 1999.
There are lessons to be learnt there from; the UCDP should awake to realities in modern day politics and sit down to find where and how they lost the way. The 2011 Local Government Elections are round the corner and the party should wake up and start as early as they can to get their act right before they slide into oblivion or get wiped out of the political radar as is the case with some parties that once graced the parliamentary corridors until the last election.
The UCDP is not the only casualty of the April elections; the ANC has lost its two thirds majority despite its landslide victory in the National Assembly, other parties have also felt that sting of rejection by the voters, particularly those who depend more on black voters. Parties that directed their energies to white voters mainly such as the DA and the only white FF+ have come out unscathed. The UCDP fared better under the circumstances but has to double its efforts if it has to keep its head above the water.
http://www.ucdp.org.za/default.asp?action=news&Id=192