Mmusi Maimane Foto: Argief (Foto: Argief )
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Mmusi Maimane Foto: Argief (Foto: Argief )
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The DA is written off by the commentariat in each election cycle but when the final numbers are tallied we always come out stronger than many a scribe predicted, writes Mabine Seabe.
The Democratic Alliance was first out of the blocks, when we launched our election campaign slogan and broad policy offering in September 2018.
This election campaign offering, under the banner of "Building One South Africa for All" has already reached every province across the country. From morning to night, seven days a week the DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, our premier candidates, Team One South Africa and party activists are on the ground campaigning for change.
We have been clear, even ahead of our manifesto launch, which will take place at Rand Stadium in February, about our core policy offers; namely access to jobs, immigration, service delivery, honest and professional policing and stopping corruption.
The 34 jurisdictions in the Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Limpopo, which we govern showcase the success of our policies, strategies and campaigns. We are not just a party in opposition, we are a party in government that gets the job done.
We have gotten where we are as a party in government and with growth in every election because of our clear policy offering and the decisions that we have made. Those who claim that we have no strategy, no clear policies and that we are in free fall have not taken the time to read through our policies or monitor our political activity.
Poorly armed with only headlines and a handful of events, Daniel Silke and others claim that we are "confused" and that we "shooting ourselves in the foot". This could not be further from the truth. This ill-informed and shallow analysis and the growing narrative by analysts is proven wrong at the ballot box with each election.
We are written off by the commentariat in each election cycle; questionable polls show a decline in our support, but when the final numbers are tallied we always come out stronger than many a scribe predicted.
We grow in each election and subsequently govern better by building a dynamic and inclusive economy, we speed up the delivery of services and we act against and stop corruption, which ensures that the money residents entrust DA governments with goes back into the development of communities.
In communities where we govern, there has been significant change; this is not to say that the situation is picture perfect but what stands true is that life is better under a DA-led government. And it is for this reason we grow in each election, and our mandate to lead is renewed.
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DA policy and messaging is clear to the people of South Africa, who we engage with on a daily basis. Our policies are put into practice on a daily basis, and they change people's lives for the better.
Yes, all political parties have their challenges and healthy debates around ideas and policies, but what separates the DA from other parties is that we deal with ours transparently, and these challenges do not negatively affect service delivery or the lives of the 15 million people we have the responsibility of leading.
The DA are ready to roll out our manifesto and unveil a new set of policies, which I encourage Silke and others to read in-depth before they choose to give superficial analysis.
As the DA we take our role as the national official opposition and governing party very seriously, and we will continue to campaign to govern more jurisdictions across the country, not for the sake of power, but to positively change the lives of millions of South Africans who have been neglected by a government of looters and liars.
- Mabine Seabe is the DA's director of communications.
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