Voters can choose clean government in the Northern Cape

The Democratic Alliance can bring clean government to the Northern Cape in this year's election.

This has been a province beset with corruption. When politicians are corrupt, service delivery and job creation suffer. 

But this year's election holds the promise of change for the people of the Northern Cape. For the last five years, the DA has been growing fast in this province. And it is starting to pay off.  

We have an intensive election campaign planned for the Northern Cape. We will take our message to every town, village and ‘dorpie' across the province from Kimberley to Calvinia. We will take our message of clean, competent and caring government to every corner of this province. 

And we can see the DA is growing everywhere we go. Today in Galeshewe in Kimberley we received a wonderful welcome. Our branches are steadily growing in all parts of the province. 

People are coming over to the DA for the first time, because they want a government that will stop corruption and create jobs. 

Everyone knows that South Africa was moving in the right direction after the historic democratic election of 1994. Presidents Mandela and Mbeki took South Africa forward.  

But under President Zuma, the ANC has become too corrupt to deliver progress. Unemployment and corruption grow unchecked in the Northern Cape. 

Like in the rest of the country, Jacob Zuma's ANC only looks after a small group of people who look after themselves before they think about the people of the Northern Cape. 

Yesterday, the Sowetan reported that John Block is top of the ANC's Northern Cape election list. This is a man who is guilty of fraud and corruption. He is a criminal and is not fit for public office. But in Jacob Zuma's ANC he is made a ‘leader'. 

The rot of corruption runs all the way to the top in this province. 

But the DA will present the people of the Northern Cape with an alternative. The future can be better than the present. That is why it gives me great pleasure to introduce our Premier Candidate for the Northern Cape today, Andrew Louw. 

Andrew was born right here in Galeshewe.  He grew up right here.  He lives close by.  He has lived in the Northern Cape all his life and he and his wife Maryam are raising their family here. Like so many others, he used to support the ANC.

In 1994, he voted for the ANC because he believed in Madiba's dream. We all did. But he left the ANC as he saw the corruption and nepotism steadily take root. 

Today he is fighting to re-kindle Madiba's dream for South Africa. Andrew wants to clean out the Northern Cape government of corruption, so that he can focus the province on our most important task: getting the economy growing so that we can create jobs. 

Andrew Louw and the DA can bring change to the Northern Cape. Voters have a choice in this province between more of the same indifferent government, or a much brighter future under the DA. 

Andrew and his team will do our utmost to win the Northern Cape and bring better government to this province. The people of the Northern Cape deserve change, and now they have the chance to vote for it.

Statement issued by DA leader, Helen Zille, January 26 2014

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