Port Elizabeth – DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip has said at the official opening of the DA’s 2015 Federal Congress in Port Elizabeth that the party is not going to emulate the ANC, but replace it.
“We welcome you all to the congress and wish you a safe trip back home. We especially welcome all the SABC viewers,” said Trollip to loud cheers after the party successfully got a court order to broadcast the congress.
“I am singling them out from all the other media who came here voluntarily. We had to drag them to the court to get them to cover the congress,” he said.
Trollip said the DA was going to govern the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
“This historical beautiful city has two faces to it, one that looks like the beautiful sea that we see and the ghettos but it has enormous potential. It was historically governed by the ANC but even the ANC has admitted that there are problems.
“They have set up a task team to fix the party, not to come and address your issues but to look after its own interest. That is what the ANC does, it puts the party first,” said Trollip, adding that the people of the Eastern Cape were ready for change.
“The ANC has always claimed that it would govern until Jesus comes back but that has finally been wiped out. After this congress they must get ready for the unnatural to happen.”
Helen Zille tribute
He also paid tribute to outgoing leader Helen Zille thanking her for her contribution.
“We will miss you Helen but this congress is about electing new leadership that will take this party to where Helen dreamt of taking it. We will govern this city,” promised Trollip.
Eastern Cape provincial chair Veliswa Mvenga told delegates to feel at home.
“Eastern Cape are you ready to govern this Metro?” she asked to loud cheers.
She welcomed all the provinces individually but when she welcomed the Western Cape there were loud cheers.
Outgoing federal chair Wilmot James said this time next year the city would be governed by the DA.
“And you know what, Athol Trollip will be your Mayor and he will be there to lead and serve the people of this city,” said James.
‘Made history’
He said last week the students at Fort Hair University had made history when they won the student elections.
“The students at Fort Hare made history. They showed that when you have had enough you can make a change. This shows that young South Africans are making a change.
“What happened at Fort Hare indicates that we have grown and we thank you for it,” said James.
He thanked the members for doing all the hard work.
“You are the ones that go door to door spreading our message, you are the ones handing out pamphlets and for that said we are the ones who should be thanking you.”
Congress opened
James said by 09:15 on Saturday morning, 83% of the delegates had registered for the congress. He then declared the congress opened.
That was followed by a moment of silence and meditation and the National Anthem.
A moving tribute was paid to Zille by various speakers at the congress.
Before the official opening the delegates danced to the sounds of Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela and sang, “Mmuso waZuma rago tshentsha” [We are changing Zuma’s government].
The weird and the wonderful fashion at the DA Congress
Port Elizabeth – The Democratic Alliance transformed the Port Elizabeth Boardwalk Complex into a fashion powerhouse at the 2015 DA Federal Congress on Saturday.
Hundreds of DA supporters turned on their blue and white swag moving away from wearing just blue jeans and t-shirts.
On Saturday, some delegates wore classy dresses with high heels while others chose one item to draw attention.
It was a mixture of traditional, weird and wonderful.
Delegate Mabekenyane Thamanane, 45, told News24 that his elaborately designed Makarabha (hard hat) had turned him into a celebrity overnight.
“I am telling you, I have been stopped about 20 times, people wanting to take pictures and asking me where I got my hat,” said the man from Thembisa, Johannesburg.
Thamanane’s hard hat can be spotted from meters away not only because it is large, but because it also has a large face of parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, the man he said he would be voting for on Sunday.
“I got this hard hat from Helen Zille last year when we were marching to Luthuli House during a DA march. She told us that it was to protect ourselves,” he said.
He said before attending the federal congress he sat down and thought of ways he could use it to endorse his candidate. He said it cost him R80 to turn it into a masterpiece.
“I sat down and designed my own version, because it was just a plain hard hat. This is what I do, I design hard hats in my area for other soccer fans,” said Thamanane.
“My hat has turned me into a celebrity, it is causing a lot of attention. I have been stopped about 20 times, people taking pictures and I have been interviewed by a lot of journalists about it,” he said.
Deputy Leader of the Western Cape Bonginkosi Madikizela, 40, wore a blue and white African inspired linen suit paired with suede blue shoes. “I like to stand out at every gathering that I attend. I always try to look different,” said Madikizela.
DA MP Nomsa Tarabella Marches chose to go for a more elegant look with a tunic design dress in DA colours which she wore with red high heels. “I am wearing a designer dress, it hugs me on my tiny waist and then it flairs out. It is really just a traditionally inspired dress that fits me well and is on trend,” said Tarabella Marches, adding that her dress was better than wearing a blue jean and white DA t-shirt.
Desiree van der Walt, 59, also wore a faded blue tunic dress and paired it with sandals.
“This dress was designed with a table cloth and I have worn it so many times that it has faded. I like it because it is comfortable,” she said.
Genevieve Cannon, 55, from the Eastern Cape said she wanted to feel like “an African girl” on Saturday. “My outfit is a mixture between the Khoisan, Xhosa and African. Today I wanted to feel like an African girl,” she said.
KZN MPL Mbali Ntuli arrived at the congress wearing full traditional Zulu regalia including isidwaba, a skirt made out of cow hide and pared it with orange beaded sandals.
“I chose to wear blue isicholo, traditional Zulu hat because of my party colours and traditional beads because I wanted to represent my province of KwaZulu-Natal the best way I can and that was to come representing my culture which is Zulu,” she said.
News24
Alan Straton
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