Whether they are conscious of it or not, it seems on the face of it, that the current DA leadership is steering the party into a white minority corner, writes David Gant from Kenilworth, Cape Town.
During his independent election campaign in the Helderberg in 1987, Denis Worrall warned voters not to make the same mistake Rhodesians made by "painting themselves into a white minority corner". The success of that campaign helped lead to the formation of the Democratic Party, the forerunner to the current DA.
There have been times when the DA looked as if it could become a governing rainbow majority party in South Africa and if it had, given the years of incompetent, corrupt, shambolic ANC governments and their failed policies, our country and its people would have been in a far better state.
Sadly, whether they are conscious of it or not, it seem on the face of it, that the current DA leadership is steering the party precisely into that white minority corner. That would be a tragedy and a huge loss of opportunity for our country to regain its momentum towards a state of peace, prosperity and racial harmony. This can only come about if a multi-racial realignment of principled, competent and service-driven individuals, representing all components of our rainbow nation, form a government of national unity and relegate extreme right- and left-wing factions to meaningless minorities.
This requires recognition that all races matter, that we are a multi-racial society, that racial redress is a sine qua non for survival and that white people, together with black, coloured and Indian colleagues and as part of a majority political establishment, have a vital role to play in improving the quality of life and future prospects of all our citizens. DA leadership should strive to be part of that majority.
- David Gant is from Kenilworth in Cape Town.
To receive Opinions Weekly, sign up for the newsletter here. Now available to all News24 readers.
*Want to respond to the columnist? Send your letter or article to opinions@news24.com with your name, profile picture, contact details and location. We encourage a diversity of voices and views in our readers' submissions and reserve the right not to publish any and all submissions received.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.