[The statement below is an extract from a speech delivered by DA Leader Helen Zille at the Eastern Cape Provincial Congress held in Graaff-Reinet on Saturday]
It has been a week to mark historic occasions.
Yesterday, we celebrated 50 years since the birth of the Progressive Party, giving us pause to consider our collective achievements over the last half-century and our prospects going forward.
And, it was here, in this very town, that the Democratic Alliance was formed almost ten years ago in 2000. By bringing together the NNP and the DP, many people said we had sold our soul. But we understood both the importance, and the risks, of growth. Today, I think we would all say it was worth it.
In the last decade, we have built on the foundations laid by our predecessors in the progressive movement. We are the only party that has shown consistent growth in every national election since 1994. Thanks to the tireless dedication of the many stalwarts of our cause, we are starting to win power in more and more places. We can now proudly lay claim to being a party of government, not just opposition.
Where we govern, such as in the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town, we are showing what a difference open, opportunity government can make to the lives of all the people.
Here in the Eastern Cape, the only DA-run municipality is Baviaans, and it is a model of good governance. The streets are clean, services are delivered, there are good public amenities and its finances are in good shape.
Baviaans is the exception rather than the rule in this province because of the debilitating effect of ANC cronyism, corruption and mismanagement. Nowhere has this been more starkly, and tragically, illustrated than the deaths of 80 babies in the Ukhahlamba District Municipality who last year died after drinking contaminated water.
The best contrast between open, opportunity and closed, crony government is the case of the Kouga Municipality. In 2000, when the DA took over, the municipality was bankrupt and struggling to deliver basic services. By 2002, the DA had turned the municipality around. Its finances were sound and services were delivered like clockwork.
The story does not end there. In 2002, the DA lost control of the municipality to the ANC due to floor-crossing. Two years later, the municipality was bankrupt again.
Our mission going forward is to show every South African in deeds, not just words, that life is better where the DA governs. This is why we won the Western Cape in this last election. People from inside and outside the City of Cape Town saw the difference that open, opportunity governance can make.
This has terrified the ANC so much that it is using state resources to wage a major propaganda campaign in the City of Cape Town, the most high profile and visible example of good DA governance.
Here in the Eastern Cape, as elsewhere, our best ammunition in the lead-up to the 2011 election will be our delivery record. Everybody must get the message that life is better where the DA governs.
If we can do this, our prospects for growth in the Eastern Cape are huge. And, if we form coalitions with parties that share our core values, it will not just be Baviaans we control after the election. We can win in municipalities all over this province - Kouga, Kareedouw, Mbashe, right here in Graaff-Reinet and definitely Nelson Mandela Metro - are all winnable.
The more municipalities we win the more chances we will have to show that the DA governs better and the greater the chances of winning power at national level in 2014.
That is our mission in a nutshell. We will not rest until it is complete.
Statement issued by Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille, November 14 2009
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