Cape Town - The Western Cape Legislature will be seeing some new faces and parties following the recent elections that could bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the House.
While the DA got an outright majority and will have the largest number of seats, the PA secured three seats and the National Coloured Congress (NCC) got one.
President of the NCC Fadiel Adams said previously the legislature had been deficient in transparency and accountability, but this was set to change.
“Nobody has ever held the DA government accountable to the point that many people don’t understand the government of the province is the DA,” he said.
Former councillor Duwayne Jacobs, would represent the NCC as a member of the provincial legislature.
In its debut performance, the PA managed to chip away at the DA’s support, and will now be represented by Bazil Petrus, Donita Stephens and Noel Constable.
The PA’s national spokesperson, Steve Motale, said the party would keep advancing its goal of mass deportation of all illegal immigrants.
Asked whether the DA would alter its approach to winning over more black and coloured voters, provincial head Tertuis Simmers said the party would stick to its objective of delivering services.
“The Western Cape manifesto that was launched in April this year is our plan to keep leading the way in every crucial aspect of delivery: creating jobs through a growing economy, reducing crime, ending load shedding, building schools, improving healthcare and putting people before politicians,” he said.
The ANC declined from 12 seats to eight in the opposition benches.
The party will be represented by Ayanda Bans, Rachel Windvogel, Benson
Ngqentsu, Khalid Sayed, Pat Lekker, Francois Kampher, Nomi Nkondlo and Beauty Stoffels.
Sayed said: “In essence, our election manifesto is going to continue the work that we do. We are going to be a robust and constructive opposition in the Western Cape.”
The GOOD Party, FF Plus, AlJama-ah and the ACDP each have one seat.
Brett Herron, secretary-general of the GOOD Party, said they would continue to hold the leading party accountable.
“Our plan will be to hold the DA accountable for the promises they made, also to drive the agenda that our voters supported, which is a more equitable, socially and economically just Western Cape.”
He added that they would also be looking to hold the DA accountable for its failing safety plan and failure to address economic inclusion.
“The voice will be heard loud and clear, it doesn’t matter how many numbers you have, it is the quality of the contribution. We will remain a constructive opposition,” Herron said.
The FF Plus will be represented by Grant Marais who currently serves as an FF Plus councillor in the Cape Town Metro and as a member of the Metro’s portfolio committee on water and sanitation.
But the party’s veteran politician Peter Marais said it was still too early to discuss their approach in the provincial legislature.
“Everything will depend on what comes out of the negotiations. Are we going to be part of the coalition with the ANC and the DA or not?
“Everything will hinge on that, and then they have to have perimeters as to what the new policy would be,” Marais said.
Al-Jama-ah, which has also retained one seat, is yet to discuss the matters regarding the seat but indicated that it would address the “lack of patriotism among whites in the province”.
Al-Jama-ah Party leader Ganief Hendricks said they had fought for years for a unitary state.
“Secession from South Africa is treasonous, and that is the message we want to get (out) to all the voters and people of the Western Cape, and build a sense of unity among all South Africans, he said.
“All our efforts will be in that direction. Al-Jama-ah will establish a resistance test to ensure that there is not a return to apartheid and that the Western Cape is not occupied by Zionists,” Hendricks added.
Meanwhile, the ACDP’s Ferlon Christians will be heading to the provincial legislature for a third consecutive term.
He said they would look to address the crime in the province, as well as the placement of learners at schools
Other well-known parties in the province, such as the EFF, which has two seats, are yet to finalise who will represent them in the legislature.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za