DA continues to grow, Ngqeleni Village

Note to editors: This is a speech by Helen Zille that was made in Ngqeleni Village in the Eastern Cape today.

Fellow Democrats: 

It is exciting to be in Ngqeleni today. 

Everyone here today knows that something profound is taking place in the Eastern Cape. 

This province is showing the depth and breadth of the political realignment that is unfolding in South Africa day by day. 

While the ANC is losing its grip on the Eastern Cape, the DA is drawing people from different political parties and every walk of life. The DA is a party for all. 

In 2012, we were proud that the former premier of the Eastern Cape, Nosimo Balindela took up the DA banner. This year, King Dalindyebo joined our cause. Who would have imagined these developments even five years ago? 

I am grateful to them because I know that they faced criticism. They fearlessly acted upon their convictions because they are patriots who love their home province and country.

The Eastern Cape faces a profound choice in 2014. 

One path leads to continued decline with the ANC. The other is a fresh start with the DA.

As we have seen in by-election after by-election result, the people of the Eastern Cape are voting for change. 

In a spectacular by-election result in Ward 8 in Matatiele in June 2012, the DA increased its vote to over 22% from just over 4% since the local government elections in 2011. 

We significantly increased the share of our vote in by-elections in Ndlambe and Sunday's River valley too.

The DA is building a new majority in the Eastern Cape. 

This work takes time and dedication. In 2006, the DA had a one seat majority in the City of Cape Town. In 2011, the voters in Cape Town rewarded the DA with a 60.9% share of the vote.

And there is no doubt that the hearts and minds of the people of this province are being stirred by the politics of change. 

The Eastern Cape gave many of its finest - from Nelson Mandela to Govan Mbeki to Walter and Alberta Sisulu to Steve Biko - to lead the struggle for liberation. 

But the sacrifice of this province has not been honoured by the party which promised a better life for all. 

The ANC acts like the voters of the Eastern Cape's purpose is to help return an ANC government every five years.

Those times are over for the ANC. The people of this province have had enough of being neglected. 

They know that the DA marches to a different drumbeat from the ANC. 

We see that every child who does not get a fair start, every woman and man who has never worked, every pensioner living in fear, has a unique story.

Twenty years ago, South Africans won the right to vote. In 2014, voters must choose the party which is most likely to liberate individuals and families from the yolk of economic hardship.

Will this be a country where only a small minority prosper, fearful for the future, looking over their shoulder in closed security estates? 

Or will South Africa be a united nation where everyone receives a decent education, gets a good wage, and can build a home with whoever they love in open communities?

Most people in rural areas like Ngqeleni do not own their home, never mind the land on which they are built. Most agricultural activity remains basic.

The ANC has let down the Nyandeni municipality with its promise of a better life for all. This is a municipality where only 15% of the population has matriculated, and where unemployment stands close to 60%.

The DA has a plan for job creation that would provide ladders of opportunity for the many who barely make ends meet. 

Our plan will expand opportunities for all, leveling the playing field so that every person gets a chance. 

Including more people in the economy also requires a government that is accountable to its citizens, with checks and balances to prevent it being captured by the friends and family of a few well connected people at the top. 

And the DA knows that millions of South Africans rely on public services. We support grants for social protection because a compassionate society takes care of its most vulnerable and elderly citizens. 

Only the DA can provide the democratic alternative in the Eastern Cape. 

All we ask is for a chance to serve.

Issued by the DA, September 21 2013

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