Dandala: SA not a federation of tribes
South Africa is not a federation of tribes, the Congress of the People’s (Cope) presidential candidate Mvume Dandala said on Friday night.
“We [Cope] fight for every citizen to be a first class citizen,” Dandala told about 400 Cope youths at the Paradise Hall in Botshabela, in Bloemfontein.
“We are first South Africa, not Zulu, Xhosa and the others.”
Dandala started his weekend tour of Free State in Parys and Kroonstad on Friday morning.
He told the group there were less than three weeks “to change the country”. He asked them to dedicate their lives “more than ever” to working and voting for Cope.
“The hour is on us.
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Dandala said the party’s leaders were people with impeccable track records and incredible ability.
They had moved away from a party for which history was more important than the future of South Africa.
“These leaders have left [the ANC] and put themselves in the hands of the people.”
Dandala said that, as Cope members, they should celebrate the country’s history but remember there was a future to work on.
He said it had taken 20 years “for the wheels to come off” in Zimbabwe after the country’s liberation. This had happened because Zimbabwean leaders believed they were veterans of the struggle and that the future did not matter.
Although Cope was not bringing totally new policies to the election table, it was bringing new values.
“We bring new values for those policies, we bring care, we bring accountability and we bring honesty,” he said to loud cheers.
Dandala was expected to visit several rural towns surrounding Bloemfontein over weekend, including Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo.—Sapa
