Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites by Siviwe Gwarube, MP, in English and Retief Odendaal, MPL, in Afrikaans.
Today, Saturday, 18 September 2021, the Democratic Alliance (DA) unveiled our Nelson Mandela Bay Election Battle Bus.
I was joined by DA National Spokesperson, Siviwe Gwarube, MP, DA EC Deputy Provincial Leader, Bobby Stevenson, MPL, and PE Northern Areas Constituency Leader, Yusuf Cassim, MPL, at the unveiling of the Battle Bus at the Wonderwonings Community Centre in Arcadia, Port Elizabeth. (See pictures here, here and here)
The Battle Bus will travel the length and breadth of the Metro in the run-up to the Local Government Elections on 1 November 2021.
The DA campaign is receiving overwhelming public enthusiasm, and the Battle Bus will play a large part in reaching and engaging voters and painting Nelson Mandela Bay blue.
Only a DA majority government can truly take Nelson Mandela Bay forward again.
In 2016 almost 47% of the voters in NMB put their trust in the DA, just 12 000 votes short of a majority in council.
Voters chose not to give any single party a majority. This led to the Coalition of Good Governance being replaced by an ANC-led Coalition of Corruption in August 2018. This is always the risk in coalition councils.
This led to instability and stop-start service delivery which frustrated residents. These issues will be a thing of the past if the DA wins a majority.
There are only two parties big enough to credibly contest for an outright majority in NMB, the DA and the ANC.
The DA wants to return NMB to its rightful place as the economic powerhouse of the province. The DA will continue to focus on delivering quality service delivery to the Metro by appointing fit for purpose municipal staff and by clamping down on corruption and maladministration within the municipality. We will create an enabling environment for business to thrive and address unemployment. We will make our communities safer to guarantee a better future for all our residents.
Your vote can make a lasting difference and deliver five years of uninterrupted service delivery under a DA majority government. Your vote can ensure a stable and prosperous NMB where services are delivered, corruption is rooted out and the economy grows and jobs are created.
The DA needs 50% plus 1 in council to ensure a majority government in NMB. Will you be the one?
Together we can get things done and take Nelson Mandela Bay forward again!