United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has described local politics as nauseating, saying the ANC, DA and NNP have failed to deliver on their promises and continued to campaign for votes on racial lines.
Holomisa, speaking at a rally in Khayelitsha, outside of Cape Town on Human Rights Day, said political parties were campaigning across racial lines.
”The politics in this part of the world is nauseating. Political parties still campaign for votes on racial lines,” he said.
”In their desperation for votes they play the race card and divide the people of this province and city against each other. I would have thought that democracy had matured and that people would now be able to make their voting choice based on policies, but alas many parties continue to rather play the race card.”
He said the DA had been an ineffective opposition.
”They started by selling out the voters by supporting the floor-crossing legislation. The DA has also failed to stop the ANC from abusing state resources in this campaign for advertisements, billboards, imbizos and even helicopters and vehicles to transport ANC campaign officials.”
He criticised the ANC for entering an election pact with the NNP.
”Analysts are saying this election will signal their obituary, but surprisingly the ANC is propping up the NNP. It is confusing why the ANC would seek to prop up the erstwhile oppressors.”
Meanwhile, DA campaign spokesperson Douglas Gibson said the DA is set to replace Bantu Holomisa’s United Democratic Movement (UDM) as the official opposition in the Eastern Cape.
”The DA is growing in all nine provinces and in all communities. Together with our partners, we are set to get up to 30% of the vote in the general election.
”The DA is also set to replace the UDM as the official opposition in the only province where it has a presence of any significance — the Eastern Cape,” Gibson said.
He said the UDM peaked in 1999, and had been going downhill ever since. – Sapa