DA, AgangSA announce intergration plans

South African anti-apartheid activist Mamphela Ramphele, left, greets Helen Zille, right, the head of the South African Democratic Alliance political party during a press conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014. The former anti-apartheid activist who was close to Steve Biko and was a World Bank executive merged her party Tuesday with South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, and will be its presidential candidate, challenging the ruling African National Congress whose popularity has eroded amid corruption scandals and other problems. (AP Photo/ Nardus Engelbrecht)

South African anti-apartheid activist Mamphela Ramphele, left, greets Helen Zille, right, the head of the South African Democratic Alliance political party during a press conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014. The former anti-apartheid activist who was close to Steve Biko and was a World Bank executive merged her party Tuesday with South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, and will be its presidential candidate, challenging the ruling African National Congress whose popularity has eroded amid corruption scandals and other problems. (AP Photo/ Nardus Engelbrecht)

Published Jan 31, 2014

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Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance and AgangSA will next week formalise the integration of the two parties following Mamphela Ramphele's decision to stand as the official opposition's presidential candidate.

Ramphele and DA leader Helen Zille said they would on Tuesday embark on a roadshow to muster support for the merger, starting with a march on employment creation in Johannesburg.

“On Tuesday, 4 February, we will embark on the 'Together for Change' roadshow to start with the 'March for Six Million Real Jobs' on that day in Johannesburg,” they said in a joint statement.

“From there, we will travel across the country to engage with South Africans in all communities, and showcase our shared vision of the future - a place where every person has the freedom and means to achieve their dreams.”

In the meanwhile, the two parties would work out the technical details of integrating the two parties.

“During this time, the technical committee will be meeting to finalise arrangements to integrate our respective parties. When their work is complete, we will be in a position to make a public announcement on the details of this historic partnership.”

A year after launching AgangSA, Ramphele announced on Tuesday that she would front the DA's 2014 election campaign in a bid to change the country's political landscape and consign race politics to “the dustbin”.

Zille conceded that the decision had not been canvassed with the parties' grassroots structures.

A press conference will be held on Monday to welcome Ramphele, a former World Bank director and prominent academic, to the DA. - Sapa

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