The Democratic Alliance in North West has today signed the Independent Electoral Commission’s code of conduct pledge for the upcoming local government elections, which will be held on 3 August 2016.

We are excited to be part of this historic moment in our country’s young democracy. We recently announced that for the first time ever, the DA will be contesting all the wards and municipalities within the province. We want to bring change that will move this province forward.

The pledge that we are signing today calls for free and fair elections. It calls on all participating political parties to practice a culture of tolerance and peace.

By signing this pledge we are reinforcing our commitment to the constitution which requires the elections to be free and fair.

The DA urges all other political parties to adhere to the IEC’s code of conduct and to ensure that the elections proceed without interference.
 
We urge the IEC to be beyond reproach as the institution entrusted with facilitating the will of the people. They should be impartial and transparent at all times.

We are concerned that the ANC will not adhere to the code of conduct, as they continue to misuse state resources to assist their election campaign.

The ANC in Mahikeng recently promised to scrap residents’ water and electricity bills and gave away free electricity vouchers in exchange for votes. These are actions of a party desperately trying to consolidate its dwindling support.

The DA pledges to ensure that the IEC fulfils its constitutional role. We will further ensure that money meant for the poor is used for the upliftment of the poor and not used to fund any political party.

The DA strongly condemns the recent violence and alleged political killing of Madibeng ANC member, Thabo Moroa. The current violence is a threat to free and fair elections. This ANC infighting shows that we need real change.

To the people of North West, our promise and offer is simple: We want to bring change to your municipality by stopping corruption, creating jobs and delivering better services.