Chris Pappas woos voters in Ballito
Polls suggest no party will win an outright majority in KZN in what promises to be the most closely contested general elections in our country's democratic era.
The Democratic Alliance is confident of attracting enough votes on 29 May to be in the driver seat of a stable coalition governing KZN.
That was the DA KZN leadership’s core message at last Wednesday’s public meeting at La Montagne in Ballito.
“There is something different in KZN at the moment, What [DA KZN Premier candidate] Chris [Pappas] is selling, people are buying like we’ve never seen before,” said DA KZN provincial chairperson and member of Parliament, Dean McPherson.
Polls suggest no party will win an outright majority in the province in what promises to be the most closely contested general elections in our country’s democratic era.
Social Research Foundation provincial tracking poll statistics have former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in the lead with 25% of the provincial vote, followed closely by the DA and the ANC tied at 22%. The IFP was placed fourth on 17%, with the EFF lagging behind on 7%.
According to McPherson, the IFP is integral to the plan of bringing about change.
He said the IFP was a natural fit to work with the DA as coalition partners, which collectively would give them 37% of the provincial vote – 14% short of the required 51% majority.
McPherson predicted this election would come down to a single seat of the 80 seats in the mix, which is why he cautioned that votes for small parties could open the door for the ANC to return to power.
He said the DA and the IFP shared ideological similarities and pointed out how a service delivery pact between the two parties in parts of KZN has vastly improved service delivery.
“We are not prepared to work with parties who say one thing today and something else tomorrow, like we’ve seen in Johannesburg, Gqeberha and Ekurhuleni. We cannot work with mercenaries.”
The DA’s plan for a majority win is simple. If each person finds one other person to vote for the DA, the party could double its current poll standings from 22% to 44% which would, in addition to the IFP’s 17%, put them in charge of KZN with a 61% majority.
Ward 22 councillor Privi Makhan, DA KZN Premier candidate Chris Pappas and Ward 6 councillor Tammy Colley.
Every vote counts
Umgeni local municipality mayor Pappas noted how in November 2021 the DA obtained an outright majority by a narrow margin of just 42 votes in his municipality.
Those 42 votes, he said, were the difference between five more years of decline and the implementation of a common vision and winning formula.
“Power without a meaningful plan means nothing,” said Pappas.
Since becoming mayor he has, among other things, increased the number of poor and vulnerable households registered to receive government support from 133 to 1 700. The turnaround time to fix electrical faults was down to four hours and the municipality is investing in fixing potholes.
“More important than hope is the reality of getting the votes and making hope a reality. It’s one thing to complain about water leaks but another to have no water. It’s about getting back control to fix things we know are easy to fix,” said Pappas.
“We are also debt free, pay Eskom a month in advance and have R180-million earmarked for infrastructure investment – all thanks to just 42 votes.”
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