Register to Win Gauteng in 2014

Today I launched the Democratic Alliance's Registration campaign in Gauteng at the polling station near my family home in Dobsonville, Soweto, where I first voted.

It was here at the Presbyterian Church of Africa that I cast my first vote back in 1999.

I voted for the ANC that year. In those days I believed in the ANC's promise of a better life. I shared the values of President Nelson Mandela and I believed that President Thabo Mbeki would steer us in the right direction.

A lot has happened since then. The hope we all felt in those days has given way to disappointment and even despair. 

People are struggling to find work. Our children are not getting the education they deserve. Drug abuse blights our communities. Innocent people are victimised by the police while criminals walk free.

Meanwhile, the opportunities that should be going to the many are being kept aside for the politically-connected. I know young people with university degrees who can't get ahead, no matter how hard they try.

So today, I have come back to this voting station with new hope, as the DA's Premier candidate for Gauteng.

I may not be voting for the same party that I voted for in 1999, but my values remain intact. I still believe we can create a better life for all.

I still believe we can make Nelson Mandela's dream of a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world come true. I still believe we can grow our economy and create enough jobs so that all may prosper.

I still believe we can put right the wrongs of apartheid through policies that help those who have been disadvantaged.

I have realised that the DA is the only party that embodies these values in South Africa today. I am proud to put up a DA registration poster because I know that we can deliver change that South Africans can believe in.

It is no secret that the ANC is losing support in Gauteng. That is why registration is so important. Because, if every person who believes in change registers to vote, the DA can win this province in 2014.

For over a month I've been travelling the length and breadth of Gauteng on the Believe Bus Tour, listening to the people of this province and piecing together their vision for the future.

We are expecting 10,000 supporters to attend the Believe in Change rally this Saturday, 2 November, where I will officially launch my campaign for Premier not far from here in Kliptown.

On Saturday I will talk about my vision for Gauteng; born of the conversations and the hope that the people of this province have been generous enough to share with me.

But this vision can only come to light if South African's use the power of their vote to bring about change.

And if you are not registered to vote, you can't vote for change.

The first voter registration weekend for the 2014 provincial and national elections takes place on 9 and 10 November 2013. Please encourage everyone you know to register and believe that together we can win Gauteng and make this province great.

Statement issued by Mmusi Maimane, DA Premier Candidate for Gauteng, October 28 2013

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