The DA prides itself on its sound internal democratic processes. And this is what we will showcase during this weekend’s Federal Congress.
This weekend all roads lead to Midrand as the DA holds it Federal Congress, the largest and the most diverse in the history of the party.
Tomorrow and on Sunday nearly 2 000 delegates from all parts of the country will descend on the Gallagher Convention Centre to elect the party’s new Federal Leadership. We are a truly inclusive party with 45% of our delegates and activists being non-public representatives coming from our branches.
The Congress is important for South Africa because the leaders elected may very well be the leaders who will reshape national government as the ANC’s support again drops below 50% in 2024.
The size of the event speaks to the tremendous growth of the DA over the years. The party has exponentially grown, since 2015 where we had just over 1200 delegates.
It is a truly international event that will be attended by more than 400 members of the media, including representatives from countries such as England and France.
The nearly 2000 delegates to Congress are made up of branches activists, councillors, Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) from across the country. Each province will be sending a sizable delegation depending on their proportional support and branch formation in new territories for the DA.
The party now governs for millions of South Africans in several metros and local municipalities across the country.
As such, it is crucial that we deliberate and vote on resolutions which seek to address the many issues that confront the people of this country. These will include resolutions on building the economy and creating jobs, urban and rural safety, and the restoration of the parliament of South Africa.
Over the next couple of days, the DA will discuss and vote on 43 resolutions, seeking to drive the DA’s policy agenda and give practical expression to our values of Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.
The resolutions presented will build on, and extend, the DA’s policy offer for creating an inclusive society. The resolutions will speak to key areas of exclusion with a focus on how the DA will address them as a party of national government.
The Congress will be broadcast live. South Africans can also watch the full broadcast by visiting www.dacongress2023.co.za. We also invite those following on Twitter to use the hashtag #DAcongress2023.
All preparations are complete, and we are ready to welcome our delegates, South Africa and the world to a Congress that will shape the future of our country.