One of the forces behind the growth of the Democratic Alliance in the east of the Eastern Cape area is a former South African Democratic Teachers Union leader.
Nomfumaneko Ndoyisile, a mother of two, dumped the ANC in 2011 on the eve of the highly contested local government elections. At the time she was an ANC branch secretary in Ntabankulu’s Ward 15.
That election divided communities into two camps as local ANC leaders were accused of manipulating candidate lists. Her ward faced similar challenges and attempts to hold her leaders to account made her unpopular.
Disillusioned, she resigned from the ANC and looked for an alternative party. “I opted to call it quits and went to the IEC searching for contact details of the nearest DA office. The DA seemed more accommodating and democratic,” she said.
The nearest office was in Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal, which referred her to provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya, who “taught me the ins and outs of the DA”.
Her first encounter with her mentor best describes her character. When she heard Mvenya was locked in a meeting in Mthatha, she hitchhiked to Mthatha to meet her, gatecrashing the meeting as an “observer”. But her activism saw her contributing to the discussion and Mvenya took note.
“There is something about Ndoyisile. She is one of the lucky finds because she is a groomed politician who knows the ins and outs of the ANC. She knows what ordinary people want to hear and she delivers.
“When I spotted her in that very first meeting, I knew she would make a great contribution to the DA. I’m glad she chose us,” said Mvenya.
Ndiyisile joined the DA three months before the 2011 local government elections. “I was a lone DA leader at the time and relied only on a leaflet to preach the DA gospel in Ntabankulu villages,” said the primary school teacher.
“That was against ANC T-shirts, music systems blaring ANC songs and the propaganda that I was a sell-out being used by white people. But I told them, ‘Watch this space. The DA is here to stay’.”
Ndoyisile’s campaign has so far converted at least 534 ANC supporters into DA voters, which ensured the DA secured its very first seat in the Ntabankulu town council.
“I don’t know why the DA seemed the best alternative to my party then, but I don’t regret having made such a strange but wise decision,” she told the Dispatch yesterday.
The party now has branches in all 18 wards in Ntabankulu and membership in Ndoyisile’s Ward 15 grew from one member in 2011 to 432 to date.
She was one of the 1400 DA delegates at the federal congress in Port Elizabeth yesterday. She said her constituency assigned her to campaign for Mmusi Maimane as leader and Athol Trollip as DA federal chairman.
“Trollip attends all branch launches and makes it his mission to visit the most remote of our areas to ensure that the voices of all DA members can be heard,” she said.
“I’ve been an ANC branch secretary for seven years, but it was my first time to see a provincial leader visit members so frequently, when there are no fights.
“The support for the DA is only going to from strength to strength towards 2016. Our representation will grow during next year’s local government elections.”
Lone voice raises DA numbers in EC
Nomfumaneko Ndoyisile, a mother of two, dumped the ANC in 2011 on the eve of the highly contested local government elections. At the time she was an ANC branch secretary in Ntabankulu’s Ward 15.
That election divided communities into two camps as local ANC leaders were accused of manipulating candidate lists. Her ward faced similar challenges and attempts to hold her leaders to account made her unpopular.
Disillusioned, she resigned from the ANC and looked for an alternative party. “I opted to call it quits and went to the IEC searching for contact details of the nearest DA office. The DA seemed more accommodating and democratic,” she said.
The nearest office was in Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal, which referred her to provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya, who “taught me the ins and outs of the DA”.
Her first encounter with her mentor best describes her character. When she heard Mvenya was locked in a meeting in Mthatha, she hitchhiked to Mthatha to meet her, gatecrashing the meeting as an “observer”. But her activism saw her contributing to the discussion and Mvenya took note.
“There is something about Ndoyisile. She is one of the lucky finds because she is a groomed politician who knows the ins and outs of the ANC. She knows what ordinary people want to hear and she delivers.
“When I spotted her in that very first meeting, I knew she would make a great contribution to the DA. I’m glad she chose us,” said Mvenya.
Ndiyisile joined the DA three months before the 2011 local government elections. “I was a lone DA leader at the time and relied only on a leaflet to preach the DA gospel in Ntabankulu villages,” said the primary school teacher.
“That was against ANC T-shirts, music systems blaring ANC songs and the propaganda that I was a sell-out being used by white people. But I told them, ‘Watch this space. The DA is here to stay’.”
Ndoyisile’s campaign has so far converted at least 534 ANC supporters into DA voters, which ensured the DA secured its very first seat in the Ntabankulu town council.
“I don’t know why the DA seemed the best alternative to my party then, but I don’t regret having made such a strange but wise decision,” she told the Dispatch yesterday.
The party now has branches in all 18 wards in Ntabankulu and membership in Ndoyisile’s Ward 15 grew from one member in 2011 to 432 to date.
She was one of the 1400 DA delegates at the federal congress in Port Elizabeth yesterday. She said her constituency assigned her to campaign for Mmusi Maimane as leader and Athol Trollip as DA federal chairman.
“Trollip attends all branch launches and makes it his mission to visit the most remote of our areas to ensure that the voices of all DA members can be heard,” she said.
“I’ve been an ANC branch secretary for seven years, but it was my first time to see a provincial leader visit members so frequently, when there are no fights.
“The support for the DA is only going to from strength to strength towards 2016. Our representation will grow during next year’s local government elections.”
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