Blue party says voters won’t turn green

The Democratic Alliance (DA) remains focused on outnumbering African National Congress (ANC) voters and does not see ActionSA as a serious threat.

Speaking to about 35 residents (with another 30 in DA shirts) at Umhlali Country Club last Friday, provincial leader Francois Rodgers said he believed the newest party on the political block might make small inroads in this election but that they would be minimal.

“Five years is a long time to keep a smaller party going once the election is done. I personally do not take them as a threat.”

Rodgers, who is on a province-wide campaign tour, claimed the DA had out-registered the ANC 3 to 1 in new voters.

He said the party had registered almost a million new voters for the current election cycle in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The ANC thought the Concourt would delay the election until February and they have been relaxed and lazy about voter registration. The DA has done an enormous amount of work to ensure that everyone who is able, can vote this year,” he said.

He was confident about the party’s chances, specifically in the uMngeni Municipality and eThekwini Metro, where efforts have been focused on turning wards blue.

“Governing a municipality is not difficult when the focus is on good and affordable service delivery. I visited roadworks in Salt Rock today and I am led to understand that outside contractors are responsible for the work. This is not acceptable, it should be well within the municipality’s ambit to be able to fix roads and streetlights without sending the job out for tender.”

Rodgers emphasised the lack of consequence for inadequate governance within the ANC, claiming that the DA did things differently or more aptly, ‘gets things done’. He said DA ward councillors who did not perform would be recalled.

“Where we have public representatives who are not performing, we reassess them and institute a disciplinary process. We are not afraid to recall a councillor, or any representative for that matter.”

Speaking on the recent Phoenix election poster outcry, where DA signs read ‘The ANC called you racists, The DA calls you heroes’, Rodgers said the party had apologised.

“Rightly or wrongly there was a backlash because the posters were deemed insensitive. We are brave enough and bold enough to take cognizance and apologise.”

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