DURBAN – The DA in KwaZulu-Natal is on the home stretch of its election campaign trail ahead of the local government elections set for November 1, with regional head Francois Rodgers leading the party into the western parts of eThekwini on Wednesday for door-to-door canvasses.
With four days left before South Africans take to the polls to choose from the 94 000 candidate councillors available in this instalment of the local government elections, Rodgers is set to visit Durban townships like Molweni and Chesterville.
According to the party’s social media handles, Rodgers visited a community in ward 9 in eThekwini.
He was seen standing next to the DA’s ward 9 councillor candidate, Pearl Msomi, while slamming the ruling party over its failure to provide RDP housing.
Even though the ANC has been promising RDP houses and service delivery in ward 9 of eThekwini, residents of this area have been living in shacks for over 30 years.
The DA has a plan for sustainable housing that will ensure more people own their homes.#VoteDA on 1 November pic.twitter.com/lTrPYO6MHy
The party put out a statement yesterday challenging the rate at which houses are built and title deeds handed over to eThekwini residents.
The party’s campaign in KZN has not been without controversy.
Both the party and the province came under scrutiny after the DA had put up posters in Phoenix and KZN was named as a hot spot for political killings in the country by police minister General Bheki Cele.
The DA later apologised and removed the poster that was strung up alongside the Phoenix Highway.
The poster, which says: “The ANC calls you racist. The DA calls you heroes”, received backlash from civil society and political organisations.
Former KZN DA leader Sizwe Mchunu accused the DA of disrespect and showing disregard for the people who lost their lives.
His accusation was seen in a complaint letter sent to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Minister of Police Bheki Cele said a special task team designated to investigate politically motivated murders was probing the deaths of six people since the start of campaigning for the local government elections.
The latest killing came on the day that ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa was in the province, attending the launch of Toyota’s Corolla Cross Hybrid model at the company’s manufacturing plant in Prospecton, Durban.
Political Bureau