The Democratic Alliance might not win the next general elections, but it won't be for lack of confidence – or trying. Its brightest star, party leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, was on hand for the Eastern Cape DA Congress on Saturday and declared that she would be making one of the most important speeches of her political career.
The Democratic Alliance might not win the next general elections, but it won't be for lack of confidence – or trying. Its brightest star, party leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, was on hand for the Eastern Cape DA Congress on Saturday and declared that she would be making one of the most important speeches of her political career.
Since 1994, this province has exemplified the most tragic tale of the new South Africa – the hope of liberation betrayed, she said. Where the Eastern Cape once stood… as a benchmark of achievement, it has slid to the bottom of the pile, on almost every indicator. She spared her harshest criticism for the educational infrastructure in the province, teachers' union Sadtu and President Jacob Zuma.
The tragic truth is that the president is prepared to sacrifice the children of this province, and condone criminal incompetence, for the votes he needs from Sadtu and Cosatu posing as ANC delegates at Mangaung.
She quoted a story from the Daily Dispatch about a fully-equipped school near King William's Town that was closed down three years ago because of dwindling pupil numbers – one of 294 Eastern Cape Schools that have effectively collapsed because parents have removed their children. That is why 44% of new registrations tracked in Western Cape schools this year, from Grade 1 to 12, are from the Eastern Cape.
In a separate interview after her speech, Zille defended the controversial remark she made about children from the Eastern Cape being educational refugees in her province, saying everything she says is twisted for political purposes. "They slaughter me instead of looking at the problem", Zille said of the harsh criticism she had endured since the remark.
"Did [the kids]run away from perfect schools?" she asked. "They are the ones who have failed these children and they have the cheek to call me a racist," Zille said. "If any white people were to do what these black people are doing to black people in the Eastern Cape, there would be an international incident!"
Indeed, City Press had a long article about 19-year-old Lwando Buwa, who moved from Centane in the Eastern Cape and did not mind being called an academic refugee. In Centane it was hard to go to school because the school was so far away and I couldn't get up early enough, Buwa told City Press.
Most people my age are not in school. They drop out of school around Grade 8. He said he was happy to be in a place where you can get more education than before. The two-day Eastern Cape DA Congress on a wintry weekend elected (unopposed) Athol Trollip as Provincial Leader, and Bobby Stevenson and Veliswa Mveny as his deputies.
Edmund van Vuuren was elected Provincial Chairperson, while Annette Lovemore, Pine Pienaar and Leon de Villiers will serve as Deputy Provincial Chairpersons. Trollip, who was until recently the DA's Parliamentary leader, was at pains to show the DA's diversity.
Anyone who dares says that the DA is not the most diverse party in South Africa, does not know what they're talking about! he declared.
