De Lille’s new political party ‘ready’ to contest 2019 elections
On Sunday, Patricia de Lille announced that she's launching a new party.
CAPE TOWN - Former City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille says her new political party has everything in place to contest the 2019 elections.
On Sunday De Lille announced she's launching a new party.
She will contest next year's election but she'll be doing so within a new political party that will be launched in January.
The announcement comes a month after she resigned from her position as the city's first citizen and as Democratic Alliance (DA) member last month.
De Lille will be unveiling the party name and brand later this month.
“I am inviting all South Africans black, white, coloured and Indian, who are in search of something new that will disrupt our current political system. I am making a call for people to do good things for our country.”
WATCH: De Lille to contest 2019 elections with new party
Opposition parties have widely welcomed De Lille's announcement of a new political party.
United Democratic Movement’s leader Bantu Holomisa says that De Lille has some value to add to the country's political space.
“She should be given the opportunity to outline her vision and mission, not in the too distant future.”
The African National Congress’ Dullah Omar region chairperson Xolani Sotashe said: “She is welcomed to the space of politics once again. I have a lot of respect for De Lille. She is a seasoned politician.”
The Inkatha Freedom Party's Narend Singh says all the signs were there that De Lille might re-enter the political boxing ring.
“I think she has been pushed to such an extent in her own past environment to do this. I have no doubt she will be a formidable force in the politics of South Africa as an individual and as a collective and we want to wish her well.”
De Lille says her new political party will live up to the vision she had when she joined the DA and is about providing South Africans with a better alternative.
“You know, the project that I started with Helen Zille in 2010, which unfortunately now is no longer there, was exactly to build that alternative because we believed that by building that alternative, we would be able to get people to vote for it. You can only use your vote for bringing about change in South Africa.”
Meanwhile, the DA says it’s unshaken by De Lille’s decision to start a new political party.
Read Patricia de Lille's full statement here.
Additional reporting by Kevin Brandt & Kgomotso Modise.
(Edited by Shimoney Regter)
