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Exactly a week from now, Monday 1 November 2021, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay go to the polls and have one choice to make – either the DA or the ANC.

Today, 25 October 2021, I was joined by DA Federal Leader, John Steenhuisen, MP, DA Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille, and PE Northern Areas Constituency Leader, Yusuf Cassim, MPL, in leading the “We Can Win” in Nelson Mandela Bay Rally at the Fairview Sports Centre in Port Elizabeth. 

This DA is the only party big enough to keep the ANC out of power in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Voting for smaller parties is like playing with fire. They cannot win the election. They will only split the vote and bring the DA under 50%.

This will open the door for a governing coalition between the ANC and the EFF – and that will be the worst possible outcome for every resident of Nelson Mandela Bay.

We have seen how some smaller parties have abused this position over the past five years, ignoring what is best for the city and using their vote as a bartering chip to get the best deal possible - for themselves!

In 2016 the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay received 47% of the vote. We were a mere 12 000 votes short of a majority.

The DA was able to form a coalition government that delivered excellent services to the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay. Unfortunately, the coalition was not to last, and after two successful years, a devastating blow was dealt to the coalition, and then-Mayor Athol Trollip was ousted.

The good work done by the DA and our coalition partners was swiftly undone by a new coalition between the ANC / EFF and smaller parties. This coalition of corruption brought our city to its knees and service delivery ground to a halt.

All of this could have been avoided had just 12 000 more people come out to vote for the DA in 2016.

The DA has a track record of good governance. Ratings Afrika says the top five municipalities are all DA governed. Statistics SA shows that the DA-governed Cape Town has the lowest unemployment rate of all major cities and that DA governments have the most pro-poor services. News24’s recently released Out of Order Index ranks the DA-governed Kouga municipality as the best-run municipality in the Eastern Cape. The Auditor-General’s annual report shows that DA governments come out on top with clean audits.

If we do not secure an outright DA majority in Nelson Mandela Bay, there is a genuine possibility that the ANC and EFF will muster enough votes to reform a coalition of their own. We have already seen the devastation that was done under such a coalition. Do we really want to give them the opportunity to loot our city with such impunity again?

A DA Majority government will ensure we create a;

• Healthy Metro: An environment that that is clean and not harmful.
• Efficient Metro: Efficient at delivering basic services
• Resilient Metro: Adapting to changing times and being forward-thinking
• Opportunity Metro: Grow the economy and generate investment and jobs
• Safe Metro: Communities that are safe.

We are at the crossroads, and on 1 November, residents have one last chance to vote for a DA majority government and put our Metro back onto the path of success.

On this path, services are delivered, the basics get done, infrastructure-led growth generates investments and jobs, and our communities are safer.

So don’t play with fire. Give the DA a 50% plus one majority, and together we can get things done and take NMB forward again!

Issued by DA NMB Mayoral Candidate and current NMB Mayor Cllr Nqaba Bhanga