Former Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille has revealed names of the Interim National Leadership Committee of the Good Party. The 36-member committee will be responsible for taking the party to the general elections, after which a national conference will be convened to elect leadership.
De Lille says at the core of the policies adopted at their conference in Cape Town is a spatially, socially economically and environmentally just South Africa.
De Lille is interim party leader, while former Cape Town mayoral committee member, Bret Heron is the Secretary General. Nthabiseng Lephoko is National Chairperson and the National Treasurer is Masego Kwenamera.
Former Cape Town Chief Whip, Shaun August is the national organiser. Other leaders include Vivien Laverge and Marius Gysman.
GOOD Leader Patricia De Lille announces interim leadership of the party. @SABCNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/tfiLSVBwBR
— Joseph Mosia (@Mosiaj1) January 20, 2019
When asked if it is not too late to choose a committee now when the elections are in May, De Lille says that it is never too late.
“Well there is ample time Mandela said everything seems impossible until it’s done that is what this is what we have adopted today. Mandela also said a good heart and a good read as a combination is a formidable force, so it’s doable. We are going to compete with established parties, ….voters are no longer looking at the size of the party, quantity does not translate into quality.”
De Lille says Good will make a radical departure from the current way of governing. It will put cities and towns at the core of governance.
“None of us are unaffected by urbanisation. If you just think the City of Cape Town where we are now, the congestion in our city, the growth of our city, the growth of informal settlements. All those things it’s part of urbanisation. And in our good future, cities and towns must take the lead to create an environment that is sustainable, that is liveable, where people are safe with his/her employment and they also have access to services and opportunities.”
She has warned voters that they’ll, once again, be promised jobs as part of electioneering. She says those who make such promises aren’t honest and truthful.
“They have been lying for the past 25 years to say they going to create jobs, but unemployment is growing because it is not the role and function of any government to create jobs. The role of government is to create the conditions conducive for the private sector to create jobs. So we are saying to the voters of South Africa to stop being fooled by these parties who say fair access to jobs, whatever that’s supposed to mean and this one says we going to create. They are lying and they have been lying to you for 25 years.”
Good, she adds, doesn’t support the decision of Parliament to amend the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. De Lille says there is nothing wrong with Section 25 of the Constitution.
“Section 25 already makes provision for expropriation. The only failure for the past 25 years is that we have never come with legislation to give effect to expropriation; in fact we are still today as we speak using the old apartheid Act of expropriation, so that’s why you see they publish a Bill, to give effect to that Section 25. We don’t see any need to have Section 25 amended or changed.”
