The Democratic Alliance is set on ruffling Western Cape premier and New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk’s feathers with a giant chicken that will shadow his every public appearance for the next two weeks.
The ”chicken man” made his first appearance outside the provincial legislature building in Wale Street on Monday and labelled Van Schalkwyk a coward. Brandishing a placard proclaiming ”kortbroek is ‘n bangbroek”, he was joined by about 20 DA workers, who made a dash down St George’s Mall.
”It’s a sort of street cartoon. The message is that Marthinus van Schalkwyk is too afraid to face the voters,” said DA representative Anthony Hazell.
The chicken man would appear at Van Schalkwyk’s public functions as a ”bit of a conscience following him around”, he said. DA leader Tony Leon has called for a general election so that voters can say whether they approve of the NNP roosting with the African National Congress.
However, the NNP believes that if anyone will have egg on its face, it is Leon. NNP representative Darryl Swanepoel dismissed the DA’s action as ”frivolous” and said the DA was running around like a ”chicken whose head has been cut off”.
”If we are talking about the need to hold an election, then the only election that is needed is one to elect a new leader for the DA.” Referring to the defection of more than 300 DA councillors to the NNP, he said this was an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the DA’s leadership.
”The voters require a more adult approach, rather than chickens running down St George’s Mall.” – Sapa