JOHANNESBURG - No votes will be bought.
This is what outgoing Democratic Alliance Federal Chairperson Helen Zille says as the party’s delegates prepare to elect its new leadership this weekend.
“It’s a congress where no votes will be bought. All votes will be democratically and freely given by individuals making their decisions and not people being forced to by virtue of being in a delegation that has been bought. It will be a free and fair vote.”
She said while other party conferences were marked by vote rigging and buying at a grand scale, none of that would happen at a DA conference.
“Many other opposition parties don’t have congresses at all. They are effective autocracies. We run the DA as a democratic organisation. We are the only party that runs a conference in a free and democratic way.”
READ | Hill-Lewis, Dyonase go head-to-head as DA Congress draws closer
“There is going to be no fights, no law cases, no reporting the results to the police, nothing like that. Everybody will compete in a fair spirit; people will accept the outcome, and we will mobilise behind the people who win.”
Reflecting on her six-year tenure in the party’s leadership, Zille said the biggest challenge for him and outgoing Federal leader John Steenhuisen was getting the party back on the road in 2019.
“We suffered a severe setback 2019. To gather the forces, to go back to first principles, regroup and then build again is a challenge. But we have not only done that, the DA is now a party of national government and that is an enormous achievement.”
Defending the party’s decision to join the ANC’s government of national unity, Zille maintained the decision was taken in the best interest of the country to avert the ANC, EFF and MK Party “doomsday coalition”.
“That would not have worked for South Africa and if something doesn’t work for South Africa, it doesn’t work for us.”
“The DA has been a party of government since 2006. It is not a new thing for us. What is brand new is being in government at national level. There are always going to be critics with whatever we do, but people must just ask what would the alternative have looked like,” Zille said.
ALSO READ | Dyonase throws his hat in the ring for DA top job
As she continues to ramp up her mayoral campaign for the City of Johannesburg ahead of the local government elections, Zille said the party wanted to achieve what the polls predict.
“The polls put as the biggest party in almost all the metros in South Africa, which is unheard of. We are working hard. If we could be the biggest party in majority of the metros, it could be a huge game changer for South Africa. It would create the groundwork for us to go full steam ahead for the 2029 elections.”