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This is my last newsletter of what has been a tumultuous but invigorating year.

2009 began on a sad note as we paid our last respects to Helen Suzman, an icon of the struggle for democracy and for so long the torchbearer of our cause. Her passing reminded us of the difference that one person can make in public life. It strengthened our resolve to continue fighting for the ideals she cherished and fought for.

We took that spirit into an election campaign which some commentators said would dislodge us as the official opposition. We emerged from that contest with a million more voters and an outright victory in the Western Cape.

We also stopped an ANC two-thirds majority which would have given it the power to change the Constitution unilaterally. This, I believe, would have served a near-fatal blow to our democracy.

In the short time that Jacob Zuma has been in power, we have seen the subversion of the Constitution taken to new heights. The fundamental principle of limiting excessive power is being undermined at every turn. Nowhere has this been more explicit than the ANC's manipulation of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), culminating in Zuma's decision to appoint Menzi Simelane as the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

This morning I filed papers in the Gauteng North High Court to have President Zuma's decision to appoint Simelane declared unlawful and unconstitutional. And I believe we have a very strong case. Simelane's testimony at the Ginwala Commission showed that he neither understands nor respects the constitutionally-enshrined principle of prosecutorial independence - the first legal requirement for the job. He also showed that he lacks integrity - another legal requirement for the position - by withholding evidence and telling blatant untruths.

Neither this court case nor the DA's application to the High Court to review the NPA's decision to drop the charges against Zuma have anything the do with a personal vendetta against the President, as some have suggested. Our sole purpose is to stop the abuse of power and the subversion of the Constitution. If we don't test the constitutionality of these decisions in court, we will set the precedent that powerful politicians are above the law. If that happens, our country will be on the road to a "failed state".

As I said yesterday when the DA released its annual report card on the performance of Cabinet, the great difficulty in dealing with President Zuma is that one cannot help liking him. He is unfailingly charming to me when I see him, no matter how much I criticise him publicly.

But, as much as charisma is a worthy attribute in a President, it is no substitute for real leadership. Real leadership means taking unpopular decisions because it is the right thing to do. Real leadership means ensuring that your followers adhere to basic constitutional principles of mutual tolerance and respect, even if they do not like to hear this.

On this score, there is a real leadership vacuum. This year saw a marked increase in intemperate, violent and hateful language in our public discourse by members of the ANC. That Zuma has not reined in those in his party who employ murderous rhetoric speaks volumes about his leadership.

When Julius Malema said he is "prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma," Zuma didn't publicly rebuke him. When ANC supporters chanted "Kill Lekota, Kill Shilowa" at a COPE meeting in Orange Farm, Zuma said nothing. When the ANC Youth League said Jonathan Jansen should be "shot and killed because he is a racist", Zuma was silent.

This week the Western Cape Education MEC, Donald Grant, announced the closure of a "finishing" school in Khayelitsha for sound and valid reasons. The ANC-aligned Congress of South African Students (COSAS) called his decision a declaration of war "for which he would die". Given the depths our public discourse has plummeted, the COSAS response barely raised eyebrows.

Zuma is allowing a political environment to flourish that is inimical to the very foundations of our Constitution. Not only does it promote the intolerance of opposing viewpoints, but the intolerance of opposition itself.

I experienced this last weekend in Soshanguve outside of Pretoria where I addressed a DA public meeting. About 50 drunken ANC supporters arrived and tried to prevent the meeting taking place, shouting ANC slogans, burning tyres and singing uMshini Wami. Eventually the police dispersed them with pepper spray and rubber bullets. After a delay of about 30 minutes, our meeting went ahead.

This kind of unconstitutional behaviour doesn't deter us. On the contrary, it strengthens our resolve because it illustrates how crucial our role is. If we were no threat, the ANC wouldn't bother with us. The more successful the opposition, the more intolerant the ANC becomes.

The ANC doesn't understand that its intolerance is self-defeating. The more violently the ANC's behaves, the more it alienates its many decent supporters. And, the more ANC members employ murderous discourse, the more it unites the opposition around the very constitutional values that are being denigrated.

When ANC members chanted "kill Lekota, kill Shilowa", it was unanimously condemned by all the major opposition parties. This week, when our meeting was disrupted, Patricia de Lille and others publicly voiced disgust at the ANC and support for us.

As we look ahead to next year we can expect more intolerance, particularly as we edge closer to the local elections. At the same time we can expect - without wanting to pre-empt the outcomes of any discussions - greater co-operation and solidarity amongst opposition parties united in defence of the Constitution.

This has very exciting possibilities for our politics going into the next decade. If we work hard and pull together, I believe that we will dislodge the ANC from power at national level in the near future. No amount of intolerance, violence and intimidation will stop us.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all of you for your support over the year. I look forward to taking the next step of this exciting journey with you in the next one. Until then, here's wishing everyone a blessed and peaceful festive season.