My fellow South Africans

Next Wednesday you will have the opportunity to elect a new councillor for this ward – Ward 39 in Mangaung. It’s a by-election, which means it falls in between regular elections.

And this is an important time for you to think about what you want from your government – what you expect from your councillor, your municipality and your national government. Because in between elections is when you see how important you really are to your government.

Don’t judge them on what they do and say in the build-up to elections. Election time is the only time you see the ANC around here. That’s when they come to make promises of services, infrastructure, jobs. That’s when they come and hand out food parcels. But in between elections is when you really see the true nature of your government.

So when is the last time you saw or heard from the ANC here? I can tell you now, this ANC government has forgotten all about you. They have written you off until the next election comes around. Until then, you are on your own.

Towns like Thaba Nchu – wards like this one here – are full of people who have been left behind by this ANC government. They are mostly young, mostly black and mostly unemployed. Very few of these young people will go on to university. In fact, half of them won’t even write matric.

They will leave school knowing that the chances of finding work are slim. Most of them will join the 9 million unemployed South Africans who are forced to live outside of our economy – relying on state welfare and the charity of others to survive.

They are what I call our country’s Lost Generation – young people who find themselves shut out of our economy. Young people who receive an education so poor that they have little hope of ever finding a meaningful job.

The ANC government has no plan to bring this Lost Generation back. Not in national government, not in the provinces and not in towns like Thaba Nchu.

We listened to the president’s State of the Nation address three weeks ago. We listened to the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech last week. There was nothing in there that spoke of creating opportunities for young people. Just more plans to make the connected ANC cronies even richer. They don’t even try to hide this anymore.

The DA, on the other hand, has a plan to rescue this Lost Generation – a plan to restore hope and dignity to millions of excluded South Africans.

This plan of ours will focus heavily on fixing education – on making sure that our children aren’t left behind because of the schools they attended. And we will also make sure there are plenty of options after school – from university and colleges to internships and apprenticeships.

But preparing our youth for adulthood is just one half of our plan. The other half is about creating jobs for these young South Africans to step into. From national level all the way down to towns like Thaba Nchu, we will create the conditions for businesses to succeed and create thousands of jobs.

Now I know our next national election is still two and a half years away in 2019. That is when South Africans can replace the government that has forgotten them with one that will put them first. But you don’t have to wait until then to bring change.

Next Wednesday, each and every person living here in Ward 39 can use the power of their vote to have a say in their future. Each of you is guaranteed, by our Constitution, the right to decide who should represent you in government. It is entirely your free choice, and no party can claim your support for life.

If you don’t like how this municipality is run – if you are unhappy with the lack of services, the lack of infrastructure development, the dirty toilets, the poor water supply – then change it. You are the only people who can do so. You know by now that this ANC government won’t change, so it’s up to you to change governments.

Our cities and towns can – and must – play a massive role in supporting the businesses that create jobs. By creating the right environment for new start-ups to thrive, and by getting rid of the bylaws that hold these businesses back, a municipality like Mangaung can play a crucial role in economic development.

Next Wednesday you will be voting for more than just a councillor. You will be voting for progress and development in your community and in this town. You will be voting for more and better jobs in farming, tourism and many other sectors in this region.

This is where democracy starts – right here in Ward 39. The change you make here in your community is the same change you will get to make nationally in 2019. By voting for a DA councillor next Wednesday, you will take the first, important step towards building the future you want for yourself, for your family and for your community.

Your candidate for councillor is Kabelo Moreeng. Remember the name and remember the face. Because a DA councillor is not like an ANC councillor. We believe in accountability. We believe in keeping our promises. We believe that if you say you’ll do something, you must do it or you will be voted out.

Don’t wait till 2019. If you want change, start now. The ANC is falling apart and the DA is growing. We now govern four of this country’s eight metros, and we are already making a difference in the lives of the people who live in these cities. That’s what we want to do for the people of Thaba Nchu too.

Give us a chance to show what we can do. Start with a DA councillor, and soon you’ll have a DA government. If we should ever disappoint you, then vote us out again. You don’t owe us, or any other party, your vote. But you do owe it to your families, your children, your community to give them the best possible chance at building a future.

You owe it to this country’s Lost Generation to restore their hope.

Thank you.