COPE condemns arrogance of Helen Zille

21 July 2016  

Helen Zille and Jacob Zuma have a lot in common. Both are determined to swallow smaller parties and both disdain the important role of smaller parties in our democracy. By wanting to stifle the smaller but nevertheless pertinent political voices, Zille and Zuma form an algebraic square. Zuma made it clear that the big parties have greater democratic rights than small parties and Zille is much of the same mind.

Zille's warning to the community of Eersterust not to “vote for a small party” is both hypocritical and anti-democratic. She should be utterly ashamed of her bully boy stance.

It is also utterly preposterous for her to claim that voting for a small party will not contribute “to a positive change”. In the Western Cape, her party has been deeply beholden to COPE in a number of municipalities where the DA came short and needed bolstering from COPE them. She therefore lies through her teeth when she says that “tiny parties cannot do anything because they cannot get into government”. This year, every big party will be searching for coalition partners. Her ill advised position will have consequences for the DA.

The ANC of Mandela and Mbeki were genuinely more generous than the DA will ever be in accommodating smaller parties and entrusting important government duties to them. Such generosity of spirit is totally absent in the DA which wants to grab all the power it can, swallow every little party it can and continue to make heaven on earth for those who are privileged and who were previously pampered in every possible way.

In Cape Town, as everyone knows, both the DA mayor and her Manco members are scared stiff to go into the townships because of the inequitable development of Cape Town. In the mother city, we indeed have a tale of two cities. In Cape Town Heaven and hell exist within a radius of 20 kilometres of Bellville.

The DA is extremely arrogant and it is for that reason that most political parties refuse to work with it. It does not know the meaning of mutuality. It antagonises and is reviled in turn. It will meet its comeuppance soon.

COPE denounces the contemptuous writing off of smaller parties by Zille. We have a right to exist and small though we may be, our voice is loud and clear in defence of the Constitution. Unlike the DA, which has no ideology, COPE is busy building a Social Democratic order that will steadily attract South Africans who want a just and shared existence. Our little seed will grow into a great tree.

Issued by Dennis Bloem, COPE Spokesperson, 21 July 2016