Fellow South Africans
In just three days’ time, on Wednesday 8 May, South Africa goes to the polls to vote in the most critical election since the dawn of our democracy. Never before has democratic South Africa faced such a stark and critical choice. A choice between the corrupt, chaotic ANC and EFF on the one hand, or the honest, capable DA on the other. South Africa’s future depends on the choice we make this coming Wednesday.
And I can tell you that here in the Western Cape, that fight is very close. If we are going to keep the Western Cape blue, keep making progress here, keep the corrupt, chaotic ANC and EFF out of our beautiful province, then we’re going to need every vote we can get, including yours. Make no mistake, every single vote is going to count to get us over that finish line.
The ANC and EFF are in the same Whatsapp group, bombarding people with empty promises and offering false hope. Don’t fall for their lies. They are not in this for you; they are in it for what they can get for themselves. They’ve proved that over and over again.
The DA, on the other hand, is not promising the world. But we will keep working for you, and we will keep making progress here in the Western Cape. We’ll keep taking this beautiful province forward. We’ll keep improving life for everyone in this province – whether they vote for us or not. Because our mission is to open opportunities for all, not just for some.
Our track record is what makes this mission credible because in a province with less than one eighth of the national population, over half of all new jobs were created in the DA-led national governments. The province has an unemployment rate of 14 percentage points less than the national average. Multiple reports have confirmed the City of Cape Town as the best run municipality, opportunity city and easiest city to be business in South Africa and the Western Cape the best run province in the country with the top 12 of 20 municipalities in nation from the Western Cape.
On Wednesday 8 May, you will literally hold the future in the palm of your hands. The power will be yours. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword in South Africa’s democracy. Because the real fight for freedom and prosperity is not on the streets but at the ballot box.
And this only happens one day every five years. Only on this one day can you put your hands on the province’s and nation’s steering wheel and influence the direction they take. You can propel your country and province forwards with the DA, or take them backwards with the ANC and EFF.
And don’t be fooled into thinking there is any real difference between the ANC and the EFF, because there is not. In fact, just this week, Malema confirmed that President Ramaphosa offered the EFF cabinet positions. This confirms what the DA has been saying all along: the ANC and EFF are one and the same. Both are corrupt and do not care about the people of this nation.
In the past 5 years, South Africa has gone backwards under the ANC while the Western Cape has gone forwards under the DA. There is still a way to go, but the DA has worked hard to improve life in this province. The Western Cape has seen progress in education, healthcare, infrastructure development, job creation and service delivery.
That’s why Ratings Afrika and Good Governance Africa have both just declared the Western Cape to be the best-run province in South Africa.
Children in this province have a better chance of getting a good matric, better access to libraries to broadband internet, to school meals and to after-school facilities. Everyone has better access to healthcare and quality basic services, a better chance of finding work. Our roads are in good condition. Our land reform farms have a high success rate. Public money is spent on the public.
On Wednesday 8 May, you get to choose more of this progress. If Alan Winde becomes premier, he will fight to get provincial control over policing and rail transport. Then we can build an honest police force and an integrated bus and rail public transport system in this province.
On Wednesday 8 May, you get to reject and punish corruption.
So, don’t stay home on Wednesday 8 May. Go out to vote and take your husbands and wives and mothers and fathers and aunties and uncles and cousins and friends with you. Because this is a team effort. Everyone has to do their bit if we are going to keep the Western Cape blue. To keep corruption out the Western Cape. To keep the Western Cape the best-run province in South Africa.
On 8 May, vote DA to build our province and our country!