DA congratulates DASO on winning outright majority in UCT SRC elections

The Democratic Alliance Students' Organisation (DASO) has won a landmark victory in the elections for the Student's Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The DA has won an outright majority, crushing the ANC-aligned candidates who stood on a slate called the Progressive Youth Alliance.

Since 1998, ANC-aligned candidates have strongly dominated the Student Representative Council. Following the results of last week's elections, they only hold five seats on the 15-seat Student Council. The seven successful DASO candidates and three independents will form a strong DA-aligned majority and will nominate the new campus executive.

DASO's victory reflects the exponential growth of DA support on the campus, where DASO has doubled its representation on the SRC every year since 2005, when it succeeded in securing only one seat on the 15-seat Council. In 2006 DASO won two seats, in 2007 it won four seats, and this year it won seven seats, with the pledged support of the three independent candidates.

This result reflects the growing disillusionment with the ANC in the Western Cape and is an important precursor of the general election scheduled in 2009.

The Democratic Alliance Students' Organisation will play an important role in demonstrating the difference that the principles of the "open, opportunity society" bring to governance. In doing so, the DASO is playing a significant role in the realignment of politics, both in the Western Cape and nationally. Students are at last resuming their place in the forefront of South Africa's political developments.

I congratulate Chris Ryall, DASO's UCT branch leader and SRC presidential candidate, as well as the rest of the DASO team for an outstanding result, and look forward to the tide turning against the ANC on campuses throughout South Africa. I also wish to thank Geordin Hill-Lewis, the founding DASO chairman at UCT. Much of the success of DASO on this campus has been due to his pioneering leadership.

The message is clear: the people of the Western Cape are sick and tired of the corruption, nepotism and mismanagement of the ANC and its allies, and that the DA has become their only alternative.

Statement issued by Helen Zille, Democratic Alliance leader, August 24 2008