Outgoing DA leader John Steenhuisen has thrown down the gauntlet in the Eastern Cape, telling voters the province is collapsing not by accident, but by choice, urging them to change their choice.
Addressing party supporters at the DA’s Eastern Cape congress in Nelson Mandela Bay on Saturday, Steenhuisen said that while the party may be watching the rise of the Patriotic Alliance in other provinces with interest, it is not concerned about its prospects in the Eastern Cape.
He pointed to the DA’s retention of its wards in recent by-elections in Kouga and Nelson Mandela Bay as proof of its continued support.
He accused the ANC in the province of presiding over decay while residents battle unemployment, water shortages and crumbling roads.
“When the DA gets into government, safety and security happen, dignity happens, and when the DA gets into government, growth happens.
“All of these things can happen here in the Eastern Cape, but the people here need to vote for them.
“These things don’t happen by accident.
“You won’t get a job by accident, your children won’t get a decent education by accident, your potholes won’t magically be fixed by accident.
“All of those things you can and have so much more, but you have to vote for it, just like the people of Kouga voted for it.
“Look at Makana, a municipality now that doesn’t have water and where the residents, if they want service delivery, have to go to court.
“Look at Inxuba Yethemba municipality, a key agricultural corridor, yet it is in stagnation with infrastructure backlogs.
“Look at Dr Beyers Naude, it’s facing financial distress, governance instability and collapsing trust.”
During his speech, he also dismissed the town renaming debates as “lazy politics” that will not put water in taps, electricity in homes or jobs in the hands of the unemployed.
The people in this province are tired because their children are sitting at home, unemployed, without jobs, and the worst thing is to see on TV how the ANC and the PA are eating the money belonging to the people of this province.
“The people in this province are tired because their children are sitting at home, unemployed, without jobs, and the worst thing is to see on TV how the ANC and the PA are eating the money belonging to the people of this province.
“We’ve got an unemployment crisis. How do you build a future without a job? There’s no electricity, no water, no work,” he said.
Steenhuisen said people in the province need to get real because jobs will not grow in broken municipalities.
“Investors don’t come and invest in a town where the infrastructure is broken.
“Business doesn’t expand where roads collapse, and red tape and incompetence stand in the way.”
During the congress, Andrew Whitfield was re-elected unopposed as provincial leader, taking up the position for a second term. He serves as an MP.
He will be supported by two deputy provincial leaders: MPL Vicky Knoetze and MP Mlindi Nhanha.
Cassim, a DA MPL, has also been elected provincial chairperson for a second term.
He will be assisted by three deputy provincial chairpersons: Baxolile Nodada, Chantel King and Rano Kayser.
Giving his victory speech, Whitfield said if residents wanted to get the province working, they had to secure the Bay.
“We need a DA government led by a mayor who isn’t scared of working.
“Now, if you are a voter in Nelson Mandela Bay and you don’t think the DA can get things done, just ask the people of the DA majority-governed Kouga municipality right next door.
“Kouga is our governance blueprint.
“Since 2016, DA-led governance in Kouga has demonstrated that clean, accountable and stable government changes lives.”
He said the party’s rise from just 1.7% of the vote 32 years ago to its current level represented a remarkable achievement.
“We should all be proud. But it is also something for us to reflect upon with cautious optimism.
“Why do I say cautious optimism? Because winning elections is one thing, but delivering results is where the rubber hits the road.
“We must not take for granted the journey which got us here, nor should we be complacent about the journey that lies ahead.
“The DA is held to a higher standard than any other political party, sometimes an impossible standard.
“But this is a good thing. This is what makes us better.
“It pushes us to do more, work harder and deliver.
“It is, however, also a risk in that the wheels of the state don’t turn as quickly as people expect them to, leaving us vulnerable.
“It is therefore more important than ever before that in everything we do in government and opposition, we lead and fight with our values and that people feel our values by creating clear blue DA water between ourselves and our opponents.
“Ultimately, our fight in councils, the provincial legislature and parliament must be fuelled by the values and principles which underpin a truly open, opportunity society for all so that we can deliver justice in our fight against crime, deliver freedom against the threat of populist tyranny and deliver prosperity against the crushing weight of poverty.”
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