It gives me great pleasure to announce that this weekend, the Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance (DA) ratified the selection of Solly Msimanga as the DA’s Premier Candidate for Gauteng for the 2019 Election following a competitive and rigorous selection process.

Gauteng will be a central battleground in the election campaign next year and we are confident that Solly will lead a team that will bring the change the people of Gauteng deserve. Solly possesses the experience, temperament, integrity and expertise to lead the DA to victory in Gauteng.

Solly has been a DA member for 14 years, working his way up in the party by consistently proving his commitment to the DA’s values, and vision for a united, non-racial and prosperous South Africa. While he is currently serving as the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane – the nation’s capital – he has previously held various leadership positions in the DA, including as a Member of the Gauteng Legislature and the DA’s Gauteng Chairperson. Before that, he was part of the DA’s professional staff compliment for several years. Msimanga has been married to his wife Monde for 12 years, and the couple has two young sons, Aobokwe and Amogelang.

38-year old Msimanga is a man of the Gauteng soil, having grown up and attended school in Atteridgeville, a township in the west of Pretoria. During his younger years, he lived in a shack with his family and still recounts his memories of walking to school with holes in his shoes. He used to play cricket, captained his school debating team, sang in the church choir, and was part of numerous youth upliftment structures in the community and at church.

Solly represents a new generation of leaders in the DA – young, charismatic, articulate, competent, and wholeheartedly committed to improving the lives of South Africans, particularly people oppressed by unemployment and poverty.

Following his election unopposed as Tshwane Mayor in 2016, Solly has gained valuable government experience, successfully engaging the challenging party-political dynamics in Tshwane with relative stability and success. I have no doubt that Solly has the skills needed to manage the multiple stakeholders in the province, while getting on with the business of the people of Gauteng.

Under Solly’s leadership, the City of Tshwane has turned a R2 billion debt inherited from the previous failing ANC government into a R704 million surplus. Just last month, Tshwane was ranked the fastest growing City in Africa, with almost R5 billion in investment already attracted to the nation’s capital.

While inheriting a housing backlog of over 200 000, Solly refused to move into the opulent mayoral mansion occupied by previous ANC mayors, instead choosing to live in his own home. The mansion was auctioned off for R5 million, and the funds have been used build almost 50 low-cost houses for those without a home. This is the type of leadership Gauteng deserves - a Premier who puts the people first.

With almost 10 million unemployed South Africans, there is no doubt that next year’s election is about jobs. Gauteng is the economic hub that powers South Africa. It is a great province with the potential to be a thriving centre of economic growth and prosperity for our people. But we all know it’s taken a wrong turn from the path envisaged at the dawn of our democracy.

Crime is rising, corruption is oppressing us and there is no fair access to jobs. The failing ANC-government has allowed the Esidimeni tragedy to happen without anyone of consequence being held to account. This is not what we were promised.

The dominance of the failing ANC means they have become complacent and focused on enriching only themselves. Not only have they failed to create jobs for the people of Gauteng or keep them safe from crime, they have no credible plan on how to do so.They are no longer capable of managing the real problems the people of Gauteng face each day.

Solly will lead a team that will be committed to fighting corruption, working to fix the police service in the province so that it focuses on actually protecting and serving the people of Gauteng, fighting the scourge of drug abuse, creating fair access to real and long-term jobs and working to speed up the delivery of basic services to our people.

This Thursday, Solly will launch a listening tour that will take him to all parts of this province to find out from the people as to the issues that we need to focus on and fix so that we can bring the change Gauteng needs.

He will form a team that will build a better future for all Gauteng residents – a future focused on making the Gauteng government a modern hub of innovation that puts the people first and ensures the province becomes a beacon of hope for our nation, our region, and our continent.

The DA currently governs in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Midvaal in the Gauteng Province. These local governments have already begun cleaning up the mess inherited from previous failing ANC administrations, and are turning the tide on corruption and unemployment while delivering basic services to millions of residents of Gauteng. Working in conjunction with these governments, a DA-led provincial government in Gauteng would be in a position to fundamentally change Gauteng for the better.

Today, I pledge the full support of the national leadership to Solly Msimanga in his campaign to bring change to Gauteng. Only the DA can bring change that builds a better future for all in Gauteng.