Tshwane - Campaigning for elections on the racist card was cheap and it divided the society, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said on Friday.
“The key message is about change; that is why we are asking South Africans to register for change,” he told the Pretoria News.
“Racism is everywhere, but I am not going to run a cheap campaign and say that the ANC is racist because that will divide the society.”
He was launching of the party’s voter registration campaign in Arcadia in preparation for the local government elections, expected to be held between May and August.
Maimane said people should take advantage of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) voter registration weekend on March 5 and 6.
Taking a swipe at the ANC, he said: “Don’t start a war in which you want South Africa to remember apartheid so that you can divide the society. Our work as the DA is to build South Africa together for the future.”
Maimane was not deterred by the possibilities that his political opponents might continue to paint the DA as a racist party in the run-up to the elections.
“When you say that the DA is racist - that will be more like you are saying the ANC is racist; that will be more like saying any party is racist,” he said.
“(If) you believe that there are no racists in the ANC - that’s a misnomer.
“There are racists there; they are saying racist things all the time.
“The MEC in the Eastern Cape stands up and says white people are not allowed. Is that not racism? When the employee at the Gauteng legislature say we must commit genocide against white people - is that not racism?”
He said that the DA had a reputation to act against racism wherever it occurred.
“What does the ANC do? They don’t act against their members; they don’t act against corrupt officials; they don’t act against any of them,” he said.
Maimane, however, warned:”Racism is very painful. Don’t make it cheap by including it in a political campaign.”
The DA chose to launch the campaign in Pretoria because “the city is a battleground”, according to Maimane.
“We want Solly Msimanga (DA Tshwane mayoral candidate) as the mayor here. We will be working hard to make sure that our campaign is active in this city,” said Maimane.
He said the party would run the biggest registration campaign in its history.
More billboards and posters would go up across the country and about 22 000 activists would be deployed for door-to-door campaign, he stated.
Commenting on the upcoming elections, he said: “Remember we are living in the country now where business confidence is low.
“South Africans are losing work. The delivery of basic services is not happening. The increase of corruption is on the go.”
He said part of the DA’s campaign would include selecting the best ward candidates.
“You can’t be a councillor in our party if you don’t have the appropriate skills; if you simply don’t know what local government does. We want to appoint the best and ultimately make sure that we can bring about the delivery of basic services to the people,” he said.
Msimanga said the next step for the campaign would be geared at wooing young people to register for the elections.
“The more we speak to the people, the more they tell us about the desperate need for change. People are saying it is time to give somebody with a better plan to deliver a better service a chance,” he said.
Pretoria News Weekend