Our commitment as the DA is Building One SA for All, as difficult as it might be

8 October 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has not and will never outsource its decision-making functions to outside bodies – doing so would be tantamount to capture of the organisation. Only a Federal Congress, the Federal Council and Executive, as  well as the National Management Committee decide on the Party’s operations, policies and the like.

The DA is well aware that political parties are not islands, hence we regularly have constructive engagements with think tanks and advocacy groups like the Helen Suzman Foundation, the Free Market Foundation, the Institute of Security Studies, among others but none of the them have ever sought to influence leadership contests nor have they tried to dictate party policies with the aim of advancing narrow interests.

As the DA, we remain committed to our values of Freedom, Fairness, Opportunity and Diversity, and it is on this foundation that we work to build One South Africa for All. In the face of difficulties like racial and ethnic mobilisation, we are not deterred.

The DA notes the South African Institute of Race Relations’ (IRR) latest nefarious campaign dubbed #SaveTheOppostion.

The campaign is clearly targeted at the DA and not the opposition collective. Had their campaign been a genuine gesture of ensuring strong opposition in South Africa, it would not have singled out one party. The DA is one of thirteen opposition parties represented in the National Assembly.

The IRR has deliberately and mischievously chosen to take a hostile position against the DA and four of our public representatives, in its latest salvo, this is unacceptable. Further to this, the IRR has laid out conditions, which would in their view save the DA.

The DA has a proud brand of delivering quality services and accelerating the delivery thereof when we are new in government; where other governments shed jobs, DA-led administrations are attracting both domestic and foreign investment to ensure the creation of real, long-term jobs; we have a zero-tolerance approach in our fight to stop corruption, which is required when building a capable state; and we will always stand up to defend the country’s Constitutional Democracy.

Where we are not in government, we engage in constructive opposition, where we hold the government to account, and table alternative Liberal policies, where we differ.

In the pursuit of building South Africa, as both a party in opposition and in government, we will not kowtow to external influence that seek to drive factional and destructive behaviour in our organization.

Issued by Solly Malatsi, DA National Spokesperson, 8 October 2019