The Democratic Alliance should be in control of KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape following this year’s elections, its leader said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Johannesburg, DA leader Tony Leon said: “We are extremely competitive there and we are going to go for a win with our coalition partners.”
The DA’s James Selfe said the first phase of its election campaign will be the registering of its supporters.
He said the DA will put up about 140 000 posters and distribute 2,2-million pamphlets in the next 10 days to remind people who have not yet registered to do so.
“Our provincial and regional structures have carefully analysed who is not yet on the voters’ roll and will be making contact with these voters personally, by telephone or mail,” he said.
The DA will also launch a campaign in London to encourage registered DA supporters living there to apply for their ballots so they can vote.
The formal launch of the DA’s campaign will take place on February 7 at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town.
The party will introduce its election candidates on February 14 and launch its election manifesto on February 22.
The manifesto will be “our answer to the [African National Congress’s] mismanagement of our country, and a blueprint for how South Africa can be changed for the better”, said Selfe.
Leon said: “We are feeling very upbeat. We are confident that we are going to do very well. We are going to give the ANC a run for their money.”
Leon said he has been the leader of a political party (the Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance) for nine-and-a-half years and “we have never been in better shape for a political campaign”.
Leon also called on the media to give “fair treatment and fair coverage” to all political parties.
He said South Africans are mature enough to entertain real, vigorous and peaceful debate.
“The media should allow debate to happen and facilitate it to happen,” he said.
This followed the SABC’s much-criticised live coverage of the launch of the ANC’s election manifesto at the weekend.
Leon said South Africans wanted something “radically different” from what the ANC had given them in terms of crime, unemployment and HIV/Aids.
He said these issues were not dealt with properly at the launch of the ANC’s election manifesto.
“We will take on the election in a way in which we can really deliver on change to South Africans.” — Sapa
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