I joined the predecessor to the Democratic Alliance, the Democratic Party, back in or around 1999. I subsequently met our Federal Chairperson, Helen Zille, in one of the workshops to prepare for the forthcoming first democratic local government elections in 2000.

In those elections I was elected as a DA Councillor in the Bochum-MyDarling, later to be called Blouberg Local Municipality. I subsequently moved to serve in the Capricorn District Municipality until 2004 when I was elected to serve the DA in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

I worked with Helen Zille until my departure in 2008 to join Congress of the People (COPE). I was at the Convention to establish COPE at the Convention Centre in Sandton City, Johannesburg, at which Helen was also in attendance. I did not cut communication with Helen because she does not hold any grudges with anyone if you differ with her on any issue. Indeed, after learning of my departure she called to warn me about how bad my decision was, but I did not listen.

While serving as a DA MP in the NCOP, I was appointed as the Deputy National Spokesperson to Helen. This allowed me to serve in the Federal Executive and the Federal Council. I was part of the leadership that was taking critical decisions on behalf of the organisation. There is no way that I could have been ill treated by anyone of the leaders for any reason.

I worked mainly in our rural areas of Limpopo Province and in provinces where we had to do national duties. I and others such as Victor Tshamano Dankuru, Mienkie Tjumana, Calvin Matjee, Morris Motsoko and many others campaigned in the rural areas of Limpopo to sensitise voters that the DA existed. We were accused of being sell-outs by bringing “a White political party” to the rural villages and small dorpies such as Vivo, All Days, Dendron etc. areas where blacks are in majority.

The ANC cadres excel in intimidating and will do so by parking their vehicles in front of the gates of the house where my mother resided. This never intimidated me but instead gave the urge to say there is something that I am doing that is making the ANC uncomfortable, otherwise they would not bother to intimidate our people. They got used to knowing that they are not alone in politics, there are opponents and competitors of note.

The establishment of COPE was dominated by people who came from the ruling African National Congress and this was seen as a way to break the ANC camel’s back and its dominance over the country’s political landscape. To me that was the “Aha” moment of truth because it seems for the first time since 1994, that the ANC was likely to lose the general elections and become an opposition in parliament.

The DA at that time was growing steadily yet the possibility of annexing power was still very remote and this became a discouragement on me. The DA believed in the principle of “bietjie bietjie maak meer” meaning slowly but surely is the way to go, i.e. the politics of the long haul. The politics of the long haul have today given the DA positive results as they are governing various municipalities, small and big, local and metro; even if there are challenges instigated by a ruling ANC that refuses to accept that voters have turned against them. Yet the damage to the country was continuing unabated through corruption by the ruling ANC, with no hope of it ever ceasing nor subsiding.

When I left the DA to join COPE I believed that this new kid on the block would ascend to political power and remove the ANC from its dominance of the country’s political landscape. It was not to be.

There was never a moment in which I can claim that the DA treated me with disdain at any given point. I was part of the national leadership as I was National Spokesperson after Helen was elected Mayor of the City of Cape Town. I can’t claim to be wrongly treated when I am part of the leadership. But you see when one leaves a political party there is always the temptation to find fault even if it does not exist. There was nothing to blame the leadership and the party for other than some feeble reasoning.

At best I avoided creating reasons that do not exist just to bluff the public and the media that is forever ready to find fault with the DA on racism.

At the time of my departure the party was under the following astute leadership:

1. Tony Leon – Leader

2. James Selfe – Executive Federal Chairperson

3. Joe Seremane – Federal Chairperson

4. Douglas Gibson – Chief Whip

I want to profusely apologise to these former giants for disappointing them when they were dependent on me for some of the work that was planned to grow the party. This apology is also extended to the present day leadership that includes:

1. John Steenhuisen – Leader,

2. Helen Zille – Federal Chairperson,

3. Siviwe Gwarube – Chief Whip and other leaders at different levels of the organisation.

I also failed many of the voters who believed in me and the politics of the DA since they quickly got confused about who to vote for. My mother, who passed away on 7 May 2018, was very disappointed with my decision. Today I can fully confirm that many of my colleagues, friends, family members and ordinary people gave me the thumbs up when I rejoined the DA.

The general local government elections results of 2006 do show that the DA almost annexed the ward vote from the ANC at Ward 12 Indermark Village.

            The ANC got 61, 04% total voter support, while

            The DA got 33, 61%

If I had stayed with the DA this situation would have changed for the better because the ANC are not doing anything good to this day in the municipality, in particular in my home village, where I stood as the DA candidate. I am going to start working again to regain the lost votes for the DA.

IEC Local Government Elections 2006

PARTY SUPPORT RESULTS

Province                     Limpopo

Municipality   -           NP 351 Blouberg/ Bochum MyDarling

Ward               -           93501012 (Indermark Village)

Party               -           Democratic Alliance

Figure 1: DA Vote Support

PARTY SUPPORT RESULTS

Province                                 Limpopo

Municipality               -           NP 351 Blouberg/ Bochum MyDarling

Ward                           -           93501012 (Indermark Village)

Party                           -           African National Congress (ANC)

Figure 2: ANC Vote Support

SEAT CALCULATION/ ALLOCATION

Province                                 Limpopo

Municipality               -           NP 351 Blouberg/ Bochum MyDarling

Ward                           -           93501012 ((Indermark Village)

TOTAL SEATS AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITY   36

Figure 3: All parties Seat Allocation

If in subsequent elections the momentum of this good results was kept going, we could be talking of a rural ward not belonging to the ANC nut he DA. It is possible to unseat the ANC if only we can improve on the voter turnout, convince the voters to consider the alternative.

I am today once again a proud member of the DA and I have already hit the ground running. Voters are ready and willing to moving away from Voting Corruption into power and instead Vote Good Governance of the DA.

Was it a mistake to join COPE? Sometimes one can admire a glass house only to find what prevail inside it is a disaster that is very intolerable. When Sam Mbhazima Shilowa addressed a press conference to announce that he is joining COPE as Chief Volunteer, little did I know that trouble had begun for the party.

A leadership battle started, and this decimated COPE. Today that party is a failed project that will never rise again. There are today only two MPs at national level and no representation in any of the provincial legislatures. The next elections I do wonder what fraction will allow them to acquire a seat?

There are of course very capable individuals within the COPE who if given the proper leadership platform could turn things around politically as well as administratively. Individuals such as Lyndall Fanisa Mafole is such an excellent individual and many more. Yet recently you have had jokers in the party publicly beclowning themselves in the media. One never knows why such individuals would fight in public rather than resolving any issues internally. All that remains are court battles and infighting in the run up to the 2024 elections in which COPE is likely to lose the two MPs it still has in the National Assembly.  

There is a recent trend of senior DA members in high level elected positions leaving the organisation – with a majority joining Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA. It remains their democratic right to leave, and join any political party of their choice, but rubbishing the DA on their way out is uncalled for.

These people are not taking voters with them but only their jackets. I am afraid ActionSA may go into the same downward spiral as COPE if they are not careful. What they should not think is that they will be able to decrease the DA’s vote base. Those leaving the DA today should ask me what it is like to take such a decision without anything that compels or pushes them out. It is cold out there when one operates in an unfamiliar political environment.

The internal dynamics are new and unfamiliar and you can find yourself in a largely hostile organisation. It takes time to learn and understand the ethos of the new organisation and sometimes it takes forever to find a faction that is sympathetic to oneself. This is the picture that prevails in the ANC then COPE and I hope that it does not happen in ActionSA, as it is not the norm in the DA.

I have seen it all and will never repeat this mistake. The political landscape is changing as more voters are no longer paying allegiance to the ANC but are becoming more and more rational in deciding how to vote. I want to urge all those who are not voting for one reason or the other, to consider going to vote for the DA.

Those who are not of voting age, are encouraged to go and register at their local IEC offices so that when they become of voting age, the voters roll will automatically pick them up and include them in the Voters Roll. Let us increase the voter turn out so that thieves and corrupt political parties drowning our country today are removed from power.

The DA, the Blue Wave, is here to stay and ready to serve the people of South Africa who are suffering from basic services such as electricity, water, waste removal and many more.

I am here to serve under the present leadership at national, provincial and local level.

Motlatjo Thetjeng is a current DA member and former DA national spokesperson and MP in the NCOP.