The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape launched its provincial manifesto in Paarl on Saturday. Premier candidate for the party, Alan Winde, unveiled the party’s 7 pledges to voters, asking for another five years in office.
Winde says the party’s track record as government in the province is a testament to its capabilities.
The manifesto is outlined in a simplistic version with 7 pledges. These are structured around building on existing plans that have been implemented over the last 15 years the party has ruled the province.
Key to this is the growth of the economy with Winde pledging to create 800 000 new jobs, reduce load shedding by four stages, build more schools, and deliver a world-class public health service. Crime fighting by deploying 1 300 law enforcement officers, rural safety, and K9 units is listed second.
DA’s Alan Winde calls for another 5-year mandate, touting proven track record:
‘Clean innovative government’
The party will also push for control of policing, transport, and the ports. Its final pledge is to run a clean innovative government that delivers for all.
Winde urged voters to think carefully what they would like their province to look like over the next five years.
“If there are nine provinces in South Africa and everybody wants to come to one province, why? So don’t break that, support it and make it work in other provinces the same way. Let’s fix our country, let’s rescue our country so that’s my words to those citizens. We’ve seen experiences in this province where people have decided to support small parties or independents and the disaster that follows. Now I’m very proud of the track record that has been delivered here in this province and all of the data shows us that we are by far that delivers better than anybody else.”
Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, the DA leader, John Steenhuisen, said voters can either give the party an outright majority in the province or will get corrupt coalitions that will destroy the province.
“There’s a big difference between fear-mongering based on things that are not true and warning people about the consequences of what happens when we’ve already seen those consequences outplay here. In Knysna in the Western Cape voters were complacent, they didn’t come and vote and they split their votes amongst these small popcorn parties that pop up every election and then go stale and are swept away. What that did was allow the ANC, the EFF, and the PA to come in there. That’s why Knysna sits today with dead bodies in its drinking water, with no water in its taps, with sewage on its streets with mountains of rubbish, and a government that’s repelling tourists not attracting them that’s precisely the case and my key message is to the voters of the Western Cape we’ve got a really good, clean accountable government we’ve taken for granted that there’s water in the taps that there are decent municipal services to be very careful about complacency in this election because you can very easily open the door for the ANC, the EFF, and the PA to get in here and then that reality of Knysna will become the reality of the Western Cape.”
The party also unveiled a bus it will use on its campaign trail across the province.
💙 The blue team is on the ground, spreading the #DAdifference nationwide. The DA’s blueprint to #RescueSA is our beacon of hope.
On 29 May, your vote can bring change and prosperity. Together, we can usher in a new era of democracy.
📲 https://t.co/u849wzIaJW to learn more. pic.twitter.com/QfEwzQe14W
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) April 6, 2024
