Durban – Preliminary results show the Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has won governance of a municipality in the province for the first time, as party leadership announced on Tuesday that it had won the uMngeni Local Municipality, in the uMgungundlovu district.
Head of the DA in KZN Francois Rodgers said the win will give the party an opportunity to roll out the model that it has in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Rodgers said the win gives the DA a platform, not as the opposition, but as governance in KZN to prove the party’s worth.
The IEC has not yet released the full set of results for uMngeni but according to the commission’s website, the DA has won the municipality by 61.9 percent.
“It's a historic day for us in KZN as we now govern a municipality outright for the very first time. Over my campaign period that I've been on the ground, I have given the people of KwaZulu-Natal the assurance that we will govern Msunduzi on November 2. So I’ve stuck to my word when it comes to that.
“Now this gives us the opportunity in KwaZulu-Natal to roll out the model that we rolled out in Cape Town and in the Western Cape.
Head of the DA in KZN Francois Rodgers says the DA winning the uMngeni Municipality will give the party a chance to roll out the model that it has in Cape Town and the Western Cape. 🎥 Jehran Naidoo/ IOL Politics
“We have put together a good team. A young and energetic mayor, Christopher Pappas, will lead that team in Mooi uMngeni and he will stick to the slogan of ’the DA gets things done’ and we will ensure that the residents of uMngeni get the service delivery they deserve,” Rodgers said.
He said that Pappas has already put together a plan of action for his first 100 days in office, which will be revealed in time. He said the win was not only historic for the blue party, but it also gives the people of the area hope.
“We keep saying that if you want hope then you’ve got to change and if you want change, you have got to use the ballot box. The residents of uMngeni have clearly spoken and said that they want change and they want hope and a party that gets things done,” Rodgers said.
The uMngeni municipality, which encompasses areas like Howick, Hilton and the Mpophomeni township, has been at the focal point of the DA’s election campaign in the province.
The area has 12 wards that voted in favour of the ANC during the last local government elections but after the win, Rodgers says the DA knows what needs to be done in order to put the needs of the people first.
“We know what it is that we need to do. We know what structures that we need to put in place. I think ultimately, you need a mayor and you need a council and an executive that puts the interests of the people first,” he said.
Political Bureau