The Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape on Tuesday challenged the New National Party/African National Congress alliance to say who it would nominate as the individual parties’ premier candidates.
”We are … fighting this election against a ghost premier candidate of the ANC/NNP alliance. I challenge the ANC/NNP alliance to give the people of the Western Cape a written contract that their premier candidate is either Marthinus van Schalkwyk or Ebrahim Rasool,” said the DA’s provincial leader, Theuns Botha, at the unveiling of the DA’s provincial election manifesto and naming of candidates for provincial and national legislatures.
Botha said the voters will be able to identify with the 44 names contained in the two lists, describing the candidates as ”representatives of and for a real South Africa and of and for the real Western Cape”.
The lists contains both old and new names. Botha tops the provincial legislature list, which includes former provincial minister Gerrit van Rensburg, and Danny de la Cruz, Shahid Esau and Adelaide Buso.
The national list is topped by stalwart politicians Pierre Rabie and Helen Zille, and also includes Kraai van Niekerk, Sarel Haasbroek and Sakkie Pretorius.
Botha said the provincial manifesto does not fundamentally differ from the DA’s national election manifesto, but adds a ”provincial flavour to the DA’s policy in the Western Cape”.
The provincial manifesto addresses a range of issues, including crime, economic development, education, housing and culture.
Botha said the DA wants to win the Western Cape and is spending ”millions” to achieve this.
”The amounts [of money] for KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng are fairly similar, and are higher than at other provinces,” said DA provincial election coordinator Robin Carlisle, without divulging particulars.
Also on display among the myriad party posters was an eye-catching red-and-black poster with the words ”The NNP is with the ANC. Vote DA”.
Carlisle said research shows many voters still do not believe the NNP is in alliance with the ANC, and this poster is part of a ”sophisticated” campaign to ram home that message.
According to Hanna Langenhoven, election campaign director, the message is not ”rooi gevaar, maar Nat gevaar”.
She said the poster is a ”hit” in limited areas where they have been put up. — Sapa