Pretoria - Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille on Wednesday urged the youth to remember where the country came from and to use their votes to help shape the future.
“In this election it is important for the youth to remember the struggle of the past and vote to move South Africa forward again,” she told reporters in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria.
Zille made the comments after her door-to-door campaigns in Soshanguve and Hammanskraal.
She said she had seen the conditions people lived in and promised a clean government.
Zille told residents of Soshanguve's Block R that the party was confident of winning the area and leading by example.
There had been a corruption scandal in the area that led to the resignation of an African National Congress (ANC) councillor, and she believed the DA was in the perfect position to benefit from that.
“You will have an honest councillor who will work for the people. A councillor who won't take free houses and sell them or put friends and family into those houses.”
Zille told residents a vote for the DA was a step towards opportunities for people to uplift themselves.
She also accused President Jacob Zuma of taking the country backwards.
“Unfortunately, under Zuma there is corruption,” she said.
“South Africa is much better than 20 years ago but sadly under... Zuma it is going backwards.”
She was given a warm welcome as she conducted the door-to-door campaign ahead of the May 7 elections.
Throngs of supporters in blue party regalia sang and danced in the streets with “vote DA” posters.
A few ANC supporters danced and sang about Zuma a few metres from the park where the opposition leader addressed residents.
Sapa