The following speech was delivered today by City of Cape Town Mayor-Elect, Dan Plato
Representatives of the media, colleagues, friends, residents of the City of Cape Town,
In politics, as in life, the only constant is change. In a democracy, change plays a crucial part in ushering in fresh leadership, refreshing and renewing approaches to governance, strengthening capacity for service delivery roll out and, most importantly, enforcing accountability and putting the people first.
But change means nothing to a government if there is no unity, if there is no common goal in sight, and if the team working towards any given goal is not held together by a universal set of values and principles. To be in government is a privilege that few are afforded, but which many abuse. To be a civil servant is to sacrifice one’s own life for the betterment of the lives of others.
I am delighted and deeply honoured today to be a part of the necessary leadership change in this metro as I am sworn in as a councillor serving the people of the City of Cape Town. If I can serve this council with selfless devotion, with an unwavering commitment to clean governance and transparency, and with the goal to create the unified and multiracial caucus that this City deserves, then I would have done the people of the City of Cape Town justice.
It is no secret that the City of Cape Town’s management has been shrouded in a fair amount of controversy over the past 18 months. I want to reassure the residents of this City, that their interests remain the priority of this government regardless of changes made to the composition of its leadership As the Democratic Alliance, our commitment is, and will always remain, bringing clean, effective, and efficient governance where we are elected.
I also want to reassure the people that the changes made to the leadership of the DA caucus are to bring unity, direction, and renewed determination to this Council to best serve the residents of the City of Cape Town. No amount of political mudslinging, race-baiting, or personal agendas to evade accountability by any member of this council will lead this caucus astray from its duty to the people of Cape Town under the Democratic Alliance’s leadership.
If any member of this Council is found to be compromised or is being side lined from their responsibilities by personal interests, they will be dealt with accordingly. I am happy to announce that the DA caucus in the City of Cape Town is united on this front, and is determined to forge ahead with our goal of building One South Africa For All through transparency, accountability, and the dedication to speed up service delivery.
Let it be known that I do not take this election into council lightly. I am deeply humbled to be given an opportunity to deliver on the DA’s mandate to keep corruption out and deliver better services.
The DA is the only party in South Africa which is led and governed not by individuals, but by a common set of principles and ideals which bring us together and unite us as one. As long as our Mayors, Premiers, Councillors, and activists lead and govern with this in mind, the goal of a united, free, peaceful, and prosperous South Africa will always be within our reach.
I stand here before you today, pledging my allegiance to serve the people of this City based on these principles which are upheld and enforced around the country by the DA, and the DA alone. To those who may try to sow disunity, or who seek to use public office where we govern as a vehicle to promote self-interest, you will not last long in our ranks. Selfless service to South Africans of all races, religions, creeds, and cultures is in the DNA of the Democratic Alliance, and is what keeps our party united, determined, and reminded of the dream of the great Nelson Mandela.
If change is what is necessary in the City of Cape Town to unify our caucus, return the DA’s brand of governance to the people, and restore the hope our voters have in our alternative for South Africa, then I am proud to be able to bring that change to this metro. As a councillor of the City of Cape Town, I remain committed to working tirelessly for the people who call this city home. I owe our people nothing less than absolute excellence as a DA councillor, and I hold myself solely responsible for this responsibility as I enter council once more.
As a councillor and the mayor-elect, my sole focus will be to work tirelessly with the province and the metro police to ensure that we make our communities safe. To ensure that children are able to go to school without fear of stray bullets. This is a fight I am willing to take all the way to the national government, along with the Western Cape Government.
While great strides have been made in the past decade, we need to speed up the delivery of basic services to the people of Cape Town. That is my focus – to make progress possible together. And to put the people of Cape Town first.
I thank you.