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NEW FORMATION: DA leader Helen Zille. Photo: SIMPHIWE NKWALI

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Addressing the Cape Town Press Club this week, Zille said the historical roots of the current political parties were making it difficult for them to challenge the dominant position of the ANC alone.

"The truth is none of our existing political parties, as currently constituted, can credibly offer this on its own. It's time for political leaders to catch up with reality," she said.

Zille has called on "constitutionalists" both within the ANC and in other political parties to "take the plunge" and move out of their comfort zones into the new political formation. This new political party, she said, would be guided by the four core values of:

• Defending the constitution;
• Nurturing non-racialism;
• Growing a regulated, market driven economy to achieve growth and reduce unemployment; and
• Building a competent state that puts competence above loyalty and punishes corruption.

Commitment to these core values was non-negotiable, said Zille.

The new party would adopt a National Development Plan, which she said was similar to the DA's Growth and Jobs Plan, as its blueprint for governing.

"The political parties of the past (and present) are powerful brands, but today they serve to keep apart millions of people who really belong together.

The next stop is to build a governing party that can make the (National Development) Plan's efficient implementation its highest priority," she said.

Zille said the current leadership battles in the ANC and its alliance partners had pitted these "constitutionalists" against populists who abuse institutions of state to pursue narrow political agendas; who see the constitution as a barrier to their progress and who mobilise on the basis of racial nationalism. She said this had created contradictions that the ANC was failing to manage.

The DA, which runs the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town, has been wooing smaller opposition parties to join it in its fight to reduce ANC dominance. It concluded a merger with the ID just before the 2011 elections. This resulted in a deal that saw ID leader Patricia de Lille taking over as mayor of Cape Town.

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Fri May 24 20:15:35 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 28, 2012

Afrojoy

I'm glad Zille has finally come to realise that the majority of South Afric*ns who happen to be bl*ck are not yet ready for a wh*te dominated party, whose supporters are mostly w*ites. You only need to go to N.E.W.S.2.4 to read the raci*l vitriol spewed by DA's wh*te supporters towards bl*cks. This vitriol has not done any good but alianate the bl*ck liberal middle class who would have otherwise been easily swayed to join the DA ranks. The DA's failure in Cape town to address welfare issues in areas like Khayelitsha coupled with the open t*ilets and f*reigners from EC fiasco, dents its reputation as a broad national opposition party. What's needed in SA is a multir*cial but bl*ck driven opposition party, not born out of ANC-succession-politics-gone-wrong but born out of the need to fill up the leadership crisis we are facing in SA before our rainbow nation implodes and goes the Zim way.
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Sep 28, 2012

langman

I have been blind all my life voting for this useless anc . This time around I will vote for Hellen zille
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Sep 28, 2012

langman

Surely I have lost confidence in black leaders
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Sep 28, 2012

!Sinudeity!

Afrojoy - If people had to vote for a party based on its supporters, then nobody would vote for the ANC. You complain about news[24], well you should read the sowetan comments :P

As for the black middleclass, they are the highest demographic of voters that have been switching over to the DA. 1.5 million voters in the last election.

Been calling for a new opposition party for years now... Still waiting...
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Sep 28, 2012

warry

Helen be patient you build a good party on good foundation, you might not rule now but the party will in future

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Sep 28, 2012

Shredder

@Afrojoy - What's needed in SA is a multir*cial but bl*ck driven opposition party, not born out of ANC-succession-politics-gone-wrong but born out of the need to fill up the leadership crisis we are facing in SA before our rainbow nation implodes and goes the Zim way.
===============================================
True. The ANC is mess up the country and keep on blaming apartheid for everything. Yes, apartheid has left a huge economic gap between blacks and whites. Having said that, the ANC is busy leaving out the well working structures that were developed by the apartheid government. SABC, SAA, etc. Schools that were built are now being closed. We can't afford more mess. We need a strong opposition party.
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Sep 28, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

Zille the is noway I see this happening with due respect mam, the leaders in all political parties are power hungry like you, there is also a racial devide. If this party you are proposing as lead by you or any white person it is simply going to alienate black people. The only way that this can work is for black people to form the party in question and you and all the mickey mouse parties join in!!! It will not guarantee you a win but it will give you a chance in every polls. Ms Zille do ot allow your support in Cape Town cloud you the are a lot of black people who ha.te you and white people with a passion and even if they agree with your views just because they come from you their hatred blocks everything. I admire your ambition madam and in GP we have Jack the clown Bloom who normaly has interesting things to say!!! But pity like you he is white and the hatred blacks have for white people defeats his intensions...GOODLUCK
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Sep 28, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

Afrojoy
What's needed in SA is a multir*cial but bl*ck driven opposition party, not born out of ANC-succession-politics-gone-wrong but born out of the need to fill up the leadership crisis we are facing in SA before our rainbow nation implodes and goes the Zim way
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
That is correct, what this country needs is the anything but the ANC type of party driven by blacks not associated with anyone COSATU, bloody SACP, DA, the circus COPE ect....
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Sep 28, 2012

Tango

The will be a new party after Mangaung
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Sep 28, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

Tango
The will be a new party after Mangaung
+++++++++++++++++++++
Correct!!!!!!
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