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De Lille to remain at the helm at GOOD party
The GOOD party conference also elected nine provincial leaders.
Patricia de Lille, who has been leading GOOD since its formation five years ago, has been elected national leader. Photo: X (Twitter)
GOOD founder Patricia De Lille has been elected national leader at the party’s inaugural congress held in Cape Town.
She has been at the helm since the formation of GOOD in 2019.
Founding secretary-general Brett Herron will also remain in his position after getting the nod from GOOD voting delegates on Saturday night.
The conference also elected nine new provincial representatives.
‘Coalitions can work’
Delivering her opening speech on Saturday, De Lille said South Africans have grown tired of the turbulent political discourse.
“South Africans want their leaders to check their egos at the door and come together to forge sensible solutions to our complex problems.
“Not every coalition is the City of Joburg. In fact, of the 82 coalitions currently, 50 are described as stable.
“It can be done with a commitment to cooperation, service delivery and humility,” De Lille said.
She added that the country’s full potential can be realised through good governance, economic growth and a capable State.
With its main support base in the Western Cape, the party won 42 council seats in the 2021 local polls.
At least 36 of the seats were in the Western Cape.
GOOD support at the polls
De Lille is also a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet after he was appointed tourism minister five years ago.
Both De Lille and Herron occupy the two seats GOOD won in the 2019 national elections.
The minister left the Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2018, under which she held various positions including Cape Town mayorship.
She agreed to resign after a protracted battle with the political party.
Her close confidant Herron also followed suit and resigned from the DA.
