New DA KZN leader targets ANC and MKP support

Sithembiso Ngema, the newly elected leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Kwa Zulu-Natal, wants to rebrand the image of the party so that it can attract dissilussioned voters from other parties. “I can promise you that the DA will grow in leaps and bounds. We will campaign in all the corners of this province. The DA must be a party of choice among voters. We will even take our election machinery to Nkandla, the backyard of the former president,” said an elated Ngema after winning the fiercely contested elections. He said the party will field candidates in all the 54 municipalities in the province. “I inherit a much stronger DA. A strong and united DA is ready to work hard to be the dominant party in municipalities across KZN and we’re ready to bring the DA difference to every town and city in the province. We must be an alternative to the voters. We must knock on people’s doors and not rely on social media,” he stated. Ngema, a former DA councillor, had squarred off against Mzamo Billy who leads the KZN delegation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). He succeeds Francois Rodgers who had propelled the party to snatching uMngeni local municipality, the only council governed by the DA in the province. Rodgers and his cohort successfully negotiated to be part of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) where the party occupies two cabinet posts – that of finance and of the department of public works and infrastructure. The DA, who are fourth biggest party in the province, have set their sights on winning the eThekwini metro ahead of the November 4th polls. Buoyed by the shifting political landscape, the party believes the ground was fertile in KZN. Recent polls show that in eThekwini, the only metro in the province, ANC electoral support has significantly dwindled making it a major battleground for the upcoming municipal elections. Commenting in the aftermath of his defeat Billy said: “To every delegate, activis