Is the DA a viable alternative?

THE happenings in the DA over the last few years has left many people questioning the party. This is especially among people of colour. After having devoted the majority of my working life to the DA and its cause, I shared these doubts.

The reality is that the local government elections are upon us and the people of Cape Town have a choice to make. We can either become apathetic, waste our vote on a small party, or worse still, vote for a party that can't deliver.

I've taken a lot of time to reflect on the DA and what it stands for. It has its shortcomings but let me shed some light on why, from an insider's perspective.

It’s a liberal organisation. That means it’s made up of individuals who are each eager to make an impact. And sometimes those individuals disagree on how to make that impact. Those disagreements can be intense, but at the end of the day, the DA is made up of people who give their all to try and make our city better.

What we saw over the last few years was the DA coming to terms with itself ideologically after having grown rapidly. That is important because it forms the bedrock of a party and all things flow from there. What we're seeing now is the DA working on plans to make an impact on the welfare of the country as a whole, outside the City of Cape Town, building on what it has achieved so far. Isn't that what we want? To have a real shot at a wellrun country.

As a Capetonian who has lived in other cities, I can attest that they are poorly run and appear worse than Cape Town. In Kimberley, water gets shut off for days and then out of the blue, it’ll come back. I can't speak on behalf of people of colour, or the entire Cape Town electorate. I can only share my experience and thoughts on the DA. So here it is: I’m urging voters to think carefully about this election, to go out and choose the DA because they are the ones trying the hardest to prove themselves by delivering.

If we don't register to vote and vote for the only viable alternative, we would have done more harm than good.

ANNEKE SCHEEPERS | Former DA Western Cape communications manager