My fellow South Africans,

Democrats,

I have been here in Nelson Mandela Bay many times over the past few months. And every time I return here, I am more certain that change is coming to this city.

Every time I drive into communities here, I realise that this city has had enough of a government that no longer cares about them.

Every time I speak to people here, I know that they will do the right thing on 3 August. I know that they will vote this ANC government out and they will vote a DA government in.

The DA is growing here in Nelson Mandela Bay. We are getting bigger and stronger in every community. In fact, we have already overtaken the ANC in the metro.

They will find out on the morning of 4 August that they are now the second biggest party in Nelson Mandela Bay.

There was a time when a DA election rally like this would have been an unthinkable thing here in Nelson Mandela Bay.

There was a time when our gatherings here were small and our voices quiet.

I mean, this is the Eastern Cape – the heartland of the ANC. Or rather, this was the heartland of the ANC, back when the party had a heart.

Because the ANC today has nothing in common with the ANC of yesterday – the party of Nelson Mandela, of Walter Sisulu and of Oliver Tambo.

It will be a fitting gesture for the DA to win this metro, which is named after Madiba, because we are the only party that stands for his values of unity, the rule of law, and building an inclusive economy. We care for the people of South Africa. We care about the future of South Africa. Zuma and the ANC only care about themselves.

What’s left of the ANC of today is a collection of corrupt individuals, fighting over the last scraps before the party finally implodes.

They can’t agree on anything anymore. The SABC, the Guptas, Marius Fransman, their mayoral candidates, their party lists – all of these things have split the ANC down the middle.

I have said it many times: Nelson Mandela Bay should be so much more.

This city has everything going for it. It has harbours, railways and an airport.

It has a huge Industrial Development Zone. It has wind farms.

It has a proud history of motor vehicle manufacturing.

It has one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline anywhere in the world.

And it has over a million people who deserve better. People who aren’t afraid to get stuck in and work.

All that is holding Nelson Mandela Bay back is its government.

All that is standing between this city and prosperity is a local government that only ever makes the headlines for its many scandals.

When it comes to waste and corruption, this ANC government here in Nelson Mandela Bay is the worst Metro government in South Africa.

In the last financial year, this city lost almost half a billion Rand to fruitless and wasteful spending. That’s more than any other city in the country.

And by the way, in the DA-run City of Cape Town, the figure for that same period was zero.

When a government can’t protect your money, it can’t protect you.

Every cent this ANC government lost to corruption was meant to be spent in your communities.

to connect people to electricity

to get rid of bucket toilets.

to build proper roads

to bring public transport closer to you.

To make your streets safe

to build new houses

to repair the houses that were poorly built

And to create more jobs for the people of this city.

I’ll say it again: When a government can’t look after your money, it can’t look after you.

And do you know what the ANC’s big plan was to end corruption here in Nelson Mandela Bay? Their plan was to bring in a man called Danny Jordaan as mayor.

But Danny Jordaan is not the problem. The problem is much bigger than him.

He is the ANC’s fourth mayor in the past seven years in this city. And they were all part of the problem.

No, the problem here is the ANC itself.

They have no plan for Nelson Mandela Bay, just as they have no plan for the rest of South Africa.

Which is why we now see Jacob Zuma telling South Africans they should vote ANC simply because they are black.

Not because they want jobs, or better services, or a corruption-free government. No, he wants people to vote for the ANC because of the colour of their skin.

That’s how far this ANC has fallen. That’s how far the ANC of today has drifted from the party of Madiba.

And if this desperate racial mobilising doesn’t work, they will try to buy your votes with T-shirts and food parcels.

Tell this ANC your vote is not only powerful, it’s also precious. Tell them it cannot be bought cheaply.

Go out and use your vote to bring an honest, clean government to Nelson Mandela Bay that can create jobs, and that is committed to delivering services to all its people.

Use your vote to hire a DA government, knowing that you can use that same vote to fire us again if we disappoint you. But first give us a chance.

Give the DA a chance here, the way the people of Cape Town gave us a chance back in 2006.

We will bring change to Nelson Mandela Bay. Change that creates jobs. Change that stops corruption. Change that delivers better services.

Amandla!