Maimane declares victory in Nelson Mandela Bay

Pretoria – Democratic Alliance Leader Mmusi Maimane on Thursday said that if his party’s victory in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality was confirmed it would ensure an economy that delivers services for all.

“In a democracy of course you do not win a 100 percent of the people but you govern for a 100 percent of the people. So our issue is people of Nelson Mandela Bay, those who voted for us - and I thank them deeply - have given us a mandate,” he said at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s national results centre in Pretoria.

“That mandate is not for us to work for DA people, that mandate is to deliver for the city and therefore I will be tasking the team there to make sure they work hard. They will have to address the historical injustices there… [so] that we create an economy that works and delivers services for people.”

The final result was yet to be confirmed but the DA was lying at 49.49 percent in Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday evening when the ANC announced it would lodge a complaint with the IEC because it did not believe voting to be free and fair here.

Maimane said that if the DA governed the municipality well then it would lead to them doing better in the next national elections. He said the DA would apply the same formula in Nelson Mandela Bay that it did in the City of Cape Town and Midvaal Municipality.

Nelson Mandela Bay is seen as one of the three most tightly contested municipalities in the 2016 Municipal Elections, along with Johannesburg and Tshwane. The DA was poised to declare victory in the eastern seaboard city but this was put on hold when the ANC lodged a formal complaint.

“We had the opportunity to form a government in Nelson Mandela Bay. More importantly we will deliver for the people and create an economy that creates jobs in Nelson Mandela Bay, one of my favourite cities, and ultimately cut corruption,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“It is beautiful to say that a city named after [former president] Nelson Mandela will in the next elections potentially be governed by the Democratic Alliance,” added the DA leader who infuriated the ANC with a campaign built in part by seeking to align his party with Mandela’s legacy.

When asked who they would exclude from a coalition in the metro, Maimane immediately named the ANC.

“The ones that are in government now, we cannot work with because we can’t run elections saying change and then work with the current government as it stands at the moment. So it excludes the ANC entirely, but we will look at all other options entirely options as to see how we go.”

Miamane said that Port Elizabeth had a “very important” port and more needed to be done to mine the city’s economic potential.

“We have got to make it work better. Nelson Mandela Bay has got a very important port. So if we can partner with national government to make sure that that port becomes an opportunity for us to improve trade and make sure that the blue economy is enhanced through that. There are other opportunities in the entire region,” he said.

“We have got to look at the micro economy of Nelson Mandela Bay to make sure we stimulate it.”

Maimane said the metro had many opportunities and the DA would also explore tourism and agriculture to ensure the city becomes “prosperous and creates an inclusive economy”.

“There are many opportunities there so there is many things that we have got to work on,” he said.

Asked about the political symbolism of the DA winning the metro, Maimane again mentioned Mandela.

He said the former late president never fought for a one-party state, but for a democratic South Africa where change could occur through the ballot box.

“So I think it is exciting that we can find ourselves at this point today in our vibrant democracy.”

Miamane said that the people in Nelson Mandela Bay voted for change and this proved that South Africans still believed in a non-racial nation and that the country can prosper.

“South Africans are trusting. I want to thank South Africans who have come out in Nelson Mandela Bay to vote for us.”

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) had said it would announce the results for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality on Thursday night.

African News Agency