Johnathan Paoli
DA Federal Leader, John Steenhuisen, announced the party’s decision to appoint incumbent Alan Winde as the DA Candidate for the position of Premier of the Western Cape on Saturday.
Winde was elected premier on 22 May 2019, succeeding DA Federal Chairperson, Helen Zille. He is the second Western Cape Premier from the Democratic Alliance
A businessman from Knysna, Winde has been a member of the DA since the 1990s, previously serving as councilor and MMC in the province.
Winde has been critical of both the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa in the past, for their stance in the Russian and Ukraine war, for extending an invitation to the Russian President Vladimir Putin to the BRICS Summit held in South Africa this week, to the governing party’s uncompromising state on the Santaco strikes earlier this year.
In his announcement, Steenhuisen praised the more than 50% support the party has enjoyed within the province. And said there was a concerted effort in the form of a ‘Doomsday’ coalition between the ANC, EFF and PA, among others, that sought to undermine the DA’s dominant position within its stronghold.
“We must be under absolutely no illusion that there is a coalition of corruption out there who are desperate to get their hands on this province,” Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuise said the ANC was trying to disrupt the control the party enjoys over the provincial executive in an attempt to stop the party’s ‘progress’ while criticising a number of small parties and labelled the PA as merely satellites of the ANC.
“Parties like the Patriotic Alliance, Good, Al Jama-Ah, COPE and the NCC are nothing but glorified ANC branches. These parties are the ANC in drag,” Steenhuisen said.
The animosity against the PA follows on their decision at a council meeting in Gqeberha earlier this month not to remove the National Alliance (NA)’s Gary van Niekerk, as Nelson Mandela Bay mayor.
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