Cape Town - DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane was optimistic on Saturday about his chances to succeed Helen Zille as party leader.
“I’m in it to win it as they say. I’m going to contest hard,” Maimane said after addressing the DA Western Cape Congress in Goodwood, Cape Town – his first public engagement since formally announcing his candidacy.
With three weeks to go before the DA Congress, Maimane said he would be hitting the campaign trail to communicate his message to DA supporters.
“We’re going to run a very strong campaign because I don’t know who the other candidates are going to be...,” he said.
The 34-year old said his campaign would look to the future, not the past.
“Many people are contesting for a better yesterday. That’s why when the President (Zuma) speaks he wants to remind us of Jan van Riebeeck,” said Maimane.
“History in South Africa is important. It’s because so many still feel the effects of apartheid that we face the challenges that we do, but what cannot be underscored is that we must contest for the future of South Africa.”
This message, he said, would distinguish him from other leaders’ campaigns.
“We have a vision for SA. That vision is non-racist, non-sexist. It’s a vision that says we must build an inclusive economy, a prosperous economy,” said Maimane.
“We must advance the gains of our freedom to make sure that more people are included, not excluded, and so the goal and the objective is to build on that, to say the DA is a project that must succeed and building on the predecessors, the many DA leaders from Tony Leon to Helen Zille.”
ANA