Son of ANC stalwarts to run as DA's mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni

19 April 2016

Germiston - Ghaleb Cachalia, the son of late anti-apartheid activists Yusuf and Amina Cachalia was announced on Tuesday as the Democratic Alliance's mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni.

"The values that I learnt from my family have guided me throughout my life; non-racialism and reconciliation, the rule of law and human rights, human dignity and the imperative that the government must work for the people and not the other way around," he said in a statement after the announcement.

"Throughout my life, I believed the ANC embodied these values. It was where I put my faith for a better life for all South Africans. It was the party that enshrined my values when Nelson Mandela signed our Constitution into law in 1996.

"But sadly, after 22 years of ANC government, we have been betrayed. The ANC has changed, and the ANC of Jacob Zuma is not the ANC of Nelson Mandela. I accept this DA nomination, not just because I’m leaving the ANC, but because the ANC has left me."

He said Ekurhuleni was the second most unequal city in the world. "Ekurhuleni used to be called 'Africa’s Workshop', but after years of mismanagement, it is de-industrialising. A city that should be a beacon of hope and opportunity remains divided," he said. 

"The time has come for us to once again find our hope and aspiration. This is why I stand with the DA and will be campaigning as mayoral candidate to usher in an era of DA government in Ekurhuleni."

Ghaleb told the Mail&Guardian three years ago that former president Nelson Mandela had asked Amina Cachalia to marry him, before he married Graca Machel. She reportedly turned him down. Local government elections will be held on August 3 this year.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.