The Independent Democrats (ID) was founded by Patricia de Lille in 2003 and was the first political party in South Africa to be led by a woman, contest elections and win seats. The ID has support and leadership from all communities and has 138 councillors throughout our country and has won 10 by-elections in the last year. In the last national election the ID won seats in many parts of the country resulting in 8 Members of Parliament and 6 Members of Provincial Parliament. The ID also has Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Mayco members, Sub-council Chairpersons and Speakers in several councils across the country.
This manifesto is about you. It is about fighting for your rights and finding solutions to your problems. The ID wants a South Africa that allows you to live your life fully and freely, where you can realise your dreams. A South Africa free from poverty, crime, abuse and unemployment, where you are given excellent healthcare, the dignity that comes with having a home and the opportunities that come with education. The ID has built a consistent track record in speaking truth to power on the most important challenges facing our country. What is important to us is fighting for the right thing irrespective of who we have to take on. In addition, our approach is and always has been a positive one, of finding solutions. We believe in people-centred development, where leaders listen to you and give you the opportunity to be involved in decisions about the development of your community, town and city. Wherever we govern, that is our approach. Remember that no vote is wasted because we have a `proportional representation’ system of voting, which means that every vote counts. A vote for the ID will not be wasted or split the opposition. On the contrary, when you vote for the ID you will be strengthening the opposition, because a vote for the ID will increase our representation in parliament, adding to our strong and principled voice of fighting for your rights and offering solutions. By voting for the ID you vote for the vision and solutions in this manifesto. It’s a vote that will fight for you and offer solutions to your problems.
