Mpho Phalatse kicks off leadership campaign with economic justice manifesto

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) former executive mayor of Joburg and the party’s federal leader candidate, Mpho Phalatse, has promised economic justice and to ensure South Africans become their “brother’s keeper” to safeguard against crime.

Manifesto

Phalatse is contesting the DA leadership with John Steenhuisen at the party’s national congress in April.

She posted her manifesto on Twitter yesterday and said the DA must articulate its position on economic justice clearly.

She stood to support a dynamic economic policy that would maintain a higher level of growth and which would continually absorb working-age South Africans into meaningful employment, as well as offer opportunities for skilled and innovative citizens to excel.

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Such an economy should reward hard work and protect the rights of workers while keeping up with the pace of technological development and advancement.

Phalatse promised that with clarity of vision and unity of purpose, along with well-functioning institutions and a credible leadership, the DA would be able to construct an inclusive and vibrant economy that benefitted all citizens.

Therefore, the congress must give the new leadership a clear mandate to communicate the party’s economic policies to the broader SA populace.

‘Waste of time’

But some responded on Twitter to her manifesto, telling Phalatse she was wasting her time contesting against Steenhuisen.

They pointed to other black DA members who had grown frustrated and left the party, including former leader Mmusi Maimane.

Some said Phalatse lacked the experience to be a national leader. She called on congress to give attention to governance, as the DA was on the verge of leading a national government in a matter of months.

‘Quality services’

She suggested the party needed to be clear on who it wanted to work with and how coalitions should be managed.

In the process, the role of the party’s federal executive and the powers and voice of DA mayors in coalition negotiations should be reviewed.

“All these … should be predicated upon the need to create stable governments that render quality and sustainable services to the people of South Africa,” Phalatse said.

The DA would inherit a corrupt public service into which the ANC had entrenched its incompetent cadres.

They were a huge stumbling block to new reforms and to the meritocratic governance envisioned by the DA.

“We must call for skills audits across the board and a swift implementation of real consequence management for those implicated in the state capture reports,” Phalatse said.

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