STRAIGHT TALK
21 July 2023
Last week, the Democratic Alliance and Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu Natal came together to sign a historic Service Delivery Pact, to improve the living conditions of residents in the province through better local government. This builds on our successful cooperation in by-elections, which has already enabled us to win wards from the ANC.
“Better together” must become our mantra in South Africa. The need to work together to build a better South Africa for all, leaving no-one behind, is as pressing now as it was in 1994.
It’s not always easy. But it is always necessary. This Service Delivery Pact was six months in the making. Six months of finding each other and building the trust relationship necessary to work together constructively.
At first glance, the DA and IFP seem like very different parties. But in truth, the ties that bind us are strong: a commitment to Constitutionalism, the rule of law, service delivery improvements, and to putting the interests of citizens first.
The strength of our Service Delivery Pact comes not just from our unity, but from our diversity: the DA has won hearts and minds in the more urban areas and the IFP in more rural areas. This means our support bases are complimentary not competitive and we bring different perspectives and experience to the mix, which means we can learn from one another.
To gain the trust of voters in these municipalities, we are making the agreement public so that citizens can hold us to account. Secretive, opaque government breeds maladministration and corruption. As the saying goes: Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
This historic breakthrough paves the way for the DA and IFP to work together at the provincial and national level too, with other likeminded parties, to offer voters an alternative with a credible pathway to getting into government. Our ongoing exploratory talks towards a National Convention for the Moonshot Pact on 16-17 August are respectful and constructive.
Working together, we can offer people a new government in KZN, one that puts their interests first. Indeed, the parties participating in the Moonshot Pact talks are already hovering in the 48-52% band of electoral support, and we are confident that once we officially form a pre-election Pact, the whole will be greater than the sum of our parts, pushing us well over the 50% we need to bring a new, people-centred government to this beautiful but beleaguered province.
And this is where you come in. Only registered voters can bring a new government to KZN and South Africa. Please spread the message far and wide. Tell your friends and family they can kickstart their registration process online by visiting check.da.org.za. Power is in the hands of the registered. So please register to build a better KZN and SA, together.
Yours sincerely,
John Steenhuisen
