Former Pan Africanist Congress member of Parliament Patricia de Lille has launched her new political party, the Independent Democrats (ID) — but her political opponents are questioning the chances of her reaching a target of 5% of the vote.
De Lille, who defected from the Pan African Congress (PAC) in March after eight years in Parliament, said on Monday that: ”I am not a person that wants to put my beliefs entirely into independent polls; the challenge is to translate that support in actual votes [in the next national election in 2004].”
She noted that polls were showing her party’s support at anything from 20% to 54% [the latter in metropolitan areas]. Polls which she herself initiated before she left the PAC indicated support among all income groups, black and white, she claimed.
De Lille, who hit the spotlight for her opposition to the arms deal and to government policies on HIV/Aids, told media after the weekend launch that the party, which is broadly pro-free market, would conservatively seek 5% of the vote. This would translate into 20 seats in the National Assembly — ten times more than the PAC which now has just two seats.
After the launch, attended by 500 delegates in Johannesburg, the membership of the new party rose from 13 000 to 14 400 she said. Party membership figures would remain transparent, she pledged.
Asked about the prospect of the ID, African National Congress Western Cape secretary general Mcebisi Skwatsha said simply ”let her continue dreaming”. Asked if he thought De Lille would make it back into Parliament, he said: ”Your guess is as good as mine.”
Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon commented: ”We oppose the ANC, she opposes the opposition,” adding that she was welcome to takes votes from the ANC.
DA sources indicated, however, that they expected to lose ”a couple of seats” in the next election to the ID while ANC sources indicated that they expected her to get between 3% or 4% — not far from the target she has set.
”I think she going to get quite a lot of support from the middle ground particularly in the liberal constituency, some of whom may have supported the DA,” one ANC election worker said.
This would be made up largely of disaffected DA, United Democratic Movement, New National Party and PAC elements. The ANC sources predicted little loss of ANC support to De Lille.
DA sources agreed that there was likely to be little bleeding of ANC support to the ID ”given that she has few structures” in black areas.
De Lille has accused the ANC of ”arrogance” and said her entering the political market was based ”on scientific research”.
The next hurdle would be to establish provincial structures in the various provinces including provincial leaderships within three months, she said.
Newly elected PAC president Motsoko Pheko refused to comment on De Lille’s new party, noting only that she had taken away one of his party’s seats in Parliament. He said that there were 10-million people living in squatter camps in South Africa and this had not changed and he was confident of his party’s prospects in 2004.
United Democratic Movement president Bantu Holomisa and New National Party secretary general Daryl Swanepoel were not available for comment on Monday. – I-Net Bridge