![Cape Town-160724- Former ANC member Loyiso Nkohla, who recently sided with the Democratic Alliance [DA], greets members of his new party & residents of Philippi, who pitched up in droves to show their support. Loyiso Nkohla chats to Nomsa Sam [53] a resident from Philippi. The campaign was held at the Philippi indoor sports complex. Reporter: Nwabisa, Photo: Ross Jansen](https://image-prod.iol.co.za/16x9/1600/Cape-Town-160724-Former-ANC-member-Loyiso-Nkohla-who-recently-sided-with-the-Democratic-Alliance-DA-greets-members-of-his-new-party-andamp-residents-of-Philippi-who-pitched-up-in-droves-to-show-their-support-Loyiso-Nkohla-chats-to-Nomsa-Sam-53-a-resident-from-Philippi-The-campaign-was-held-at-the-Philippi-indoor-sports-complex-Reporter-Nwabisa-Photo-Ross-Jansen?source=https://xlibris.public.prod.oc.inl.infomaker.io:8443/opencontent/objects/d07a4962-49f3-5e61-a09e-31422d740832)
FORMER ANC councillor and poo-thrower Loyiso Nkohla has been making persuasive progress as a DA surrogate, campaigning in an area that has never been friendly to Cape Town’s ruling party.
In a small sports hall packed with about 300 DA supporters Nkohla, who “joined” the party last month, was heard making the case for why voters should reject the ANC.
Nkohla was a leader of the Ses’khona People’s Rights Movement, which highlighted the lack of sanitation in informal settlements.
However, it was always going to be a hard sell to the voters of ward 35, where the ANC won 88.5 percent of the vote during the 2011 local government elections.
Bonginkosi Madikizela, himself a former ANC leader and now the province’s Human Settlements MEC after joining the DA in 2007, said former political foes could become partners.
“Just yesterday, Loyiso and some of the people here were fighting. Yet although we were fighting, we never took it personally; we understood why they mobilised against us,” said Madikizela.
He said welcoming Ses’khona People’s Rights Movement members into the DA was not easy.
“But they could see that as the DA we were serious about issues where they live,” said Madikizela.
He promised residents that after the elections the DA administration would return to informal settlement communities to start working.
Madikizela disputed Zuma’s recent claim, on the campaign trail, that the DA was the “offspring” of the National Party.
Instead, he said the National Party and many of their leaders folded into the ANC after the 2004 elections.
DA mayoral candidate Patricia De Lille claimed that ANC councillors “lied” to communities, and only after the DA had campaigned there were they informed about plans to upgrade their areas.
“If we can get to communities, many more people will see the light of day,” said De Lille.
Nkohla can’t join the DA until his appeal against a three-year suspended sentence for contravening the Civil Aviation Act after dumping human waste is concluded.
Yesterday, he said there was no hard feelings after he dumped the ANC, saying that the party had failed to deliver to its constituents.
“We (Ses’khona) are more welcome, and we’ve been given space (within the DA) to do what we want to do. What is important for us are services to our communities,” said Nkohla.
@mtyala