Thank you for welcoming me and the leadership of the IFP to Rustenburg. We come
with a message of hope, which is a rare thing in an election campaign. I have no
doubt that when other parties come to Rustenburg, they talk to you about all the
things that are wrong in our country, and they warn you about giving your vote
to those in power; those who have already failed all of us.

Yet when those in power come to Rustenburg, they bring all sorts of statistics
about what Government has done in the past twenty years, as if you should be
impressed that some houses were built somewhere, for someone, fifteen years ago.

What those in power fail to realise is that we are living in the here and now.
We face daily problems, and when we wake up wondering how we will put food on
the table today, or whether we will hear about a job opportunity before the rent
is due again, statistics become meaningless.

The IFP knows that actions speak louder than words. So we are not here to make
you promises that cannot possibly be kept, and we are not here to bully you into
redistributing power. We are here to tell you the truth about democracy: that
the power belongs to you. Those you elect in 2014 are there to serve you.

The IFP knows that when you vote, you own and shape your own future. We want to
help you make that future the one you deserve. We have almost forty years of
experience in good governance. We know what works, and what doesn't work. We
know how to get things done. But most importantly, we know that whatever we do,
we are doing it because of you.

I want to ask you to consider your vote carefully on the 7th of May. South
Africa's Constitution gives us all the right to vote. But this right also comes
with responsibilities and duties. It is our duty, come election time, to
question the path and vision the country is pursuing. It is also the time to
reassess those who represent us.

It is our duty to ask ourselves three questions: Are our representatives capable
of fulfilling their duties and their promises? Have they represented our
interests with honesty and integrity? Have they responded to the issues that
affect our families?

The IFP believes that you deserve better, and more. You deserve a leadership
that listens to your concerns, cares about your struggle and works for your best
interests. You deserve a leadership that acts, with competence and honesty. You
deserve representatives that really serve you.

It is time for South Africans to demand more of government. Let's assess those
in power and consider how we can make a change for our country, and ourselves.
Your vote can change your future. I invite you to partner with the IFP, so that
together we can heal our nation.

There is no doubt that our nation needs healing. Here in Rustenburg, the wound
of Marikana is still fresh. It reminds us all how far our nation's leadership
has fallen since the time of Madiba's leadership. This party of today is not the
party of Madiba, or the party of Tambo, Luthuli and Sisulu. It's an entirely
different animal, because its focus has shifted from serving the will of the
people, to serving the pockets of a few.

Corruption has become endemic in the ruling party and through the ruling party
it has infected Government. This affects service delivery, robbing you of
quality services, efficiently delivered, on time. Why do so many homes in
Rustenburg still not have running water or proper sanitation, twenty years into
democracy? There is no excuse and no acceptable answer.

Why should your dignity and health be compromised by terrible living conditions,
when high-ranking government officials rake in shares from mining companies,
profits from tenders and all manner of benefits from our tax money?

I am sure you have heard how many RDP houses could have been built for the R246
million that was used on one house in Nkandla. But has anyone told you about the
R24,8 billion that disappeared in what the Auditor-General calls "unauthorised,
irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure"?

In just one year, provincial departments squandered R24,8 billion that was
already earmarked for specific development projects, service delivery and
infrastructure development. None of that ever happened, because that money
disappeared, and no one has been held accountable.

R24,8 billion could have built 400 new schools; or 120 Nkandlas. It could have
funded every single university student enrolled right now, so that lack of funds
would never stand in the way of you pursuing your education and your dreams.

That wasted R24,8 billion could have built 24 children's hospitals, or 550 new
prisons, ensuring that overcrowding no longer prompted lenient sentences and
early parole.

In other words, it could have addressed the dire problems of crime, poor
healthcare, a failing education system and growing unemployment. It could have
addressed your struggle for proper housing. To me, there is no clearer evidence
that this Government lacks the ability, the honesty or the political will to
give South Africa what it needs and deserves.

Let me therefore tell you about a different future, in which your needs are met
and your interests served. It is a future you can create on May the 7th, through
the ballot box, with your vote. The power to change the way things are done is
in your hands. The power to get South Africa working, is yours.

In just 25 days, South Africa will hold its fifth democratic elections. May the
7th will be a moment of reckoning and a moment of decisive change. There is no
doubt that the political landscape is going to be vastly different after these
elections. The important thing is that we ensure the difference is good for us
and good for our country.

Let me tell you what a vote for the IFP will mean. The IFP understands how to
turn around South Africa's economy and grow the economy to support job creation
and the continued viability of social welfare. The reality is that Government is
not going to be able to afford to pay social grants if they don't take the
necessary steps to grow our economy.

The IFP will take politics out of the economy, out of job creation, out of
education and out of healthcare. Government can't afford to be paralysed for
fear of upsetting its alliance partners or its donors or its political elite.
Government is there to serve South Africa, and that means taking tough decisions
and doing the right thing.

It means ensuring that infrastructure is developed, RDP houses are built to
last, and housing projects are completed on time. It means ensuring that
hospitals and clinics are staffed by competent professionals, are well-equipped,
properly managed and kept to a high standard.

Doing the right thing means prioritising skills development by funding training
programs, apprenticeships and learnerships, to teach the skills needed in
today's job market. It means overhauling the justice system and giving
communities reason to respect the police service. It means putting State land to
work, helping SMMEs to become sustainable, and acting on the policy of zero
tolerance to corruption.

These are commitments the IFP makes in our election manifesto. I urge you to
read our manifesto, to discover how we will serve you in 2014 in key areas that
affect your life.

Our manifesto doesn't just set out a vision for the future we would like to
create. It commits to practical action steps that we are taking, and will
continue to take, on your behalf, to change South Africa. These are commitments
you can take to the bank. Our track-record in governance at every level speaks
for itself.

We governed the erstwhile KwaZulu for almost two decades, without a single
allegation of corruption ever being levelled against our administration. We
contributed to governance in a democratic South Africa through the Government of
National Unity, and even after there was no constitutional requirement for the
ruling party to let the IFP govern nationally, President Mbeki kept me and other
IFP Ministers in his Cabinet. Our contribution was that valuable.

Perhaps our greatest achievements, though, have been in KwaZulu Natal, where we
governed on the electoral mandate for ten years from 1994 to 2004. That decade
of good governance laid a foundation that enables the ruling party to claim they
have served South Africa well. But in truth, the best achievements for South
Africa have been IFP achievements – including the creation of provinces, the
roll-out of anti-retrovirals and the creation of special industrial zones.

It is time for the IFP to build on the IFP's foundation, because no one else is
building on it.

We delivered the first social grant in KwaZulu, before democracy was even
achieved. The ruling party followed our example and is now spending billions on
social grants. But by now the IFP knows that a social grant is not enough to
help struggling families. In many cases a real intervention is needed to empower
people to become self-reliant and able to create their own future. The IFP
recognises that the community of Rustenburg needs real help, not just stopgap
temporary measures.

The IFP wants to partner with you to create a future that is far better than the
present. We are listening and we have your best interests at heart. I hope you
will talk to us in the next three weeks, and continue that dialogue in the five
years we serve you after May the 7th.

I encourage you to speak to the IFP through our dedicated sms number and share
with us what you think about our country, the elections, the IFP, or anything
that's on your mind. Just sms the word TALK and your comment to 49199. It costs
just R1,50, and we are listening. You can also join the IFP, by smsing the word
JOIN to the same number, 49199, and one of our leaders will be in touch.

I encourage you to get talking in your own family, your neighbourhood and
wherever you go, about the difference the IFP can make to Rustenburg. The IFP is
telling you the truth, and asking you to tell others. The truth is: the power is
yours. The power to defend democracy is in your hands. The power to change South
Africa's leadership is in your hands. The power to hold accountable those who
are failing is in the hands of the electorate.

Make good use of your vote in 2014. Vote for the IFP.

As we prepare for these elections, we are ready to help anyone who needs to get
to a voting station on May the 7th and hasn't got transport. We want you to get
out there and vote, and we'll help you if you need help. Speak to one of our
leaders or get in touch with our head office, and put your name down for
transport on May the 7th.

The greater the number of people who vote, the louder your voice will be as you
call for change in Rustenburg. The power is yours. Vote IFP.