By SIMTHANDILE FORD
In what is believed to be a major boost for the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape, the party recently welcomed former President Thabo Mbeki’s cousin Madoda Mbeki into its ranks.
Madoda, 66, the nephew of late ANC stalwart Govan Mbeki, will stand as the DA candidate in Mnquma local municipality’s Ward 1, which incorporates the Butterworth CBD, Extension 2, 6 and 7, Eskiti informal settlement and Eaugene temporary dwellings.
A former ANC supporter through his family’s rich links to the governing party, Madoda said he had joined the DA as its policies appealed to him and were founded on the values he believed were necessary to develop the Eastern Cape.
“I think after Polokwane the majority of the Mbeki family members looked at the ANC differently.
“Adding to that is the lack of good governance and corruption both at local and national level of the party,” he said.
Mbeki left the ANC in 2008 to join the Congress of the People (COPE ). Given the latter’s collapse as a result of a crippling presidential battle between Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa, Madoda left COPE to join the DA in 2010 as an ordinary member.
It was only this year that he decided to become involved in the party’s local leadership.
He said Mnquma was governed by “ANC corruption” which resulted in the deprivation of jobs to a lot of deserving youths and services to the the community.
“It is a jobs-for-pals patronage system where money meant for infrastructure development is being abused to fund ANC-driven projects. Disputes over candidate lists result in the burning of municipal buildings and other government infrastructure,” Madoda added..
Ward 1 is currently represented by the ANC under the leadership of councillor Thobeka Bikitsha.
Bikitsha said she welcomed the contestation of the ward by the DA, however she was confident her party would retain it.
“Butterworth has seen so much improvement in the past years under the leadership of the ANC with innovative ideas that create an environment of development and economic activity,” Bikitsha said.
DA provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya, who had welcomed Mbeki to the party in 2010, said it was not an easy task to convince people like him to see the DA as a viable alternative.
“Being joined by the likes of Madoda Mbeki, who was directly involved in the struggle, indicates that the DA is appealing to all the people, young and old, black and white.
“The ANC has disappointed the struggle icons, their hope now is the DA,” Mvenya said.
Mvenya said when she started recruiting elderly people to the DA she had struggled because of their historic ties to the ANC, but Mbeki showed just how far the party had come in appealing to the much older voter base.
“Elderly people were claiming that they, together with the ANC took the country from white people and therefore they cannot give it back to them.
“Truly this is progress,” Mvenya said. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
Mbeki move swells DA ranks
In what is believed to be a major boost for the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape, the party recently welcomed former President Thabo Mbeki’s cousin Madoda Mbeki into its ranks.
Madoda, 66, the nephew of late ANC stalwart Govan Mbeki, will stand as the DA candidate in Mnquma local municipality’s Ward 1, which incorporates the Butterworth CBD, Extension 2, 6 and 7, Eskiti informal settlement and Eaugene temporary dwellings.
A former ANC supporter through his family’s rich links to the governing party, Madoda said he had joined the DA as its policies appealed to him and were founded on the values he believed were necessary to develop the Eastern Cape.
“I think after Polokwane the majority of the Mbeki family members looked at the ANC differently.
“Adding to that is the lack of good governance and corruption both at local and national level of the party,” he said.
Mbeki left the ANC in 2008 to join the Congress of the People (COPE ). Given the latter’s collapse as a result of a crippling presidential battle between Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa, Madoda left COPE to join the DA in 2010 as an ordinary member.
It was only this year that he decided to become involved in the party’s local leadership.
He said Mnquma was governed by “ANC corruption” which resulted in the deprivation of jobs to a lot of deserving youths and services to the the community.
“It is a jobs-for-pals patronage system where money meant for infrastructure development is being abused to fund ANC-driven projects. Disputes over candidate lists result in the burning of municipal buildings and other government infrastructure,” Madoda added..
Ward 1 is currently represented by the ANC under the leadership of councillor Thobeka Bikitsha.
Bikitsha said she welcomed the contestation of the ward by the DA, however she was confident her party would retain it.
“Butterworth has seen so much improvement in the past years under the leadership of the ANC with innovative ideas that create an environment of development and economic activity,” Bikitsha said.
DA provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya, who had welcomed Mbeki to the party in 2010, said it was not an easy task to convince people like him to see the DA as a viable alternative.
“Being joined by the likes of Madoda Mbeki, who was directly involved in the struggle, indicates that the DA is appealing to all the people, young and old, black and white.
“The ANC has disappointed the struggle icons, their hope now is the DA,” Mvenya said.
Mvenya said when she started recruiting elderly people to the DA she had struggled because of their historic ties to the ANC, but Mbeki showed just how far the party had come in appealing to the much older voter base.
“Elderly people were claiming that they, together with the ANC took the country from white people and therefore they cannot give it back to them.
“Truly this is progress,” Mvenya said. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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