Cape Town - Former ANC, DA and most recently Land Party member Loyiso Nkohla has joined the Patriotic Alliance.
Nkohla was among 22 new members who joined the PA on Monday from other political parties. Deputy president Kenny Kunene flew down to Cape Town to welcome Nkohla and the other new joiners, including well-travelled Siyabulela Mamkeli.
“Loyiso is a community activist at heart,” said Kunene. “His addition comes in handy. We are not politicians but business people and we want to empower communities by putting people chosen by them.” He said Nkohla had taken the group on a tour of Cape Town communities.
“What we saw there was heart breaking. Shacks are knee deep in water yet the City of Cape Town says it works for the people. We will remove the DA here and give power back to the people,” Kunene said.
Nkohla co-founded the Seskhona People's Rights Movement alongside Andile Lili.
The group showed its disgust at the city's lack of proper toilets for many areas, by dumping faeces at the Cape Town International Airport in June 2013, leading to Nkohla being known as the poo thrower. He has since been involved in a number of protests relating to service delivery and land grabs.
Nkohla said he was not bothered by his reputation for changing political parties like underwear.
“All I want is services for the people and if that means joining another political party, I will do it. Judge me based on what I do. When I was working in the municipality under the DA, I made sure that people’s needs were being taken care of. I have seen what the PA has done in Johannesburg and we need that to happen in Cape Town too,” he said.
Nkohla said he would be contesting in a number of wards as a proportional representation (PR) councillor.
PA leader Gayton McKenzie said he was excited to have Nkohla in his party in the build-up to local government elections scheduled for 1 November.
“He did not come alone,” he said excitedly. “The DA has sowed division between the coloured and black community. We are going to bring those communities together and remove the DA from power.”
McKenzie said that for the first time in a long time, the DA would face strong opponents in Cape Town.
“The ANC is weak as opposition. The DA does as it pleases because there is no opposition in the council. Loyiso has been assisting communities to get service delivery and now he will continue the good work under the banner of the PA.”
Weekend Argus