White Politics of Hope and Change

Published on 17 March 2009

WHEN a political leader comes to campus, you don’t expect too great an attendance or hype, because let’s face it, apathy is a disease that has infected a large part of the student body at UCT. When Helen Zille came here two weeks ago, the Beattie lecture theatre was surprisingly packed to capacity. This is an impressive feat, and as I walked into the venue slightly late, I was amazed at the turn out. I immediately noted, however, that I was surrounded by mostly white faces.

This is not a bad thing at all, considering that white people are perceived to be the most apathetic people in the electorate. But for a party that has been trying to promote itself as multiracial and multicultural and that has been trying to get rid of the “just a white party” tag, this was not a good start to proceedings. Chris Ryall, a member of DASO and President of the SRC, did the introductory remarks and spoke briefly about the DA showing capacity to lead on a national level before Helen took the podium.

Once she got past the chanting and the language of platitude that is inherent in every politician in the world, the essence of the DA message became clear: the ANC is filled with cronyism and corruption, and in order to progress South Africans must vote DA.

The entire talk Helen gave seemed like déjà vu to me as it echoed what the DA has been
talking about for the past few years, no matter their showing in the polls. She went on and
on about corruption here and corruption there and even showed her academic skills by using a case study of the Durban public transport system, which was apparently afflicted by corruption recently.

All the while she was talking, I wondered when I’d hear about what the people who voted for the DA would win, or, at the very least, a substantive discussion of DA policies. Every accusation against the ANC only further diminished the message Helen delivered and what the party was running for in 2009. Helen seemed in particular to enjoy using “cadre-deployment” and “cronyism” in her description of the ANC’s term of governance.

While it is important to hold those in power accountable and ask pertinent questions with regards to taxpayer’s money and where it’s going, I think that, as a party trying to win an election, there should be more to your message than simply railing against the supposed or real abuses of the ruling party. The DA has been the official opposition for years and should by now have learnt that constantly attacking the ANC, especially when it’s needless, only serves to alienate black voters, which they desperately need if they are to get anything substantive outside the Western Cape.

There is a strong perception that the DA is just a white party representing white interests in this country. Building a campaign solely on the ANC’s perceived or real failures only serves to strengthen that belief in black communities. There is a reason why when COPE was established, the ANC took pleasure in branding it a black version of the DA. This is because, in most black circles, to be associated with the DA is tantamount to being sick with a terminal disease. In order to overcome this, the DA must drastically rethink its strategy. For, although the DA policy and manifesto look good on paper and the website is dazzling and the new logo, oddly resembling Obama’s, is pretty, no party has ever won anything in the world by merely achieving aesthetic beauty.

In other words, policy promises must be backed by realistic policy implementation plans, and the DA must shift from being a party of comparisons to being a party that at least shows some realistic potential to lead the country. Thus, no matter how much Xhosa Helen speaks on the trail, no matter how many townships she visits and dances at, her message and campaign will fall on deaf ears as long as the DA continues to work and campaign as a party in opposition rather than a party ready to lead.

Written by Tatenda Goredema

Tatenda Goredema is the Deputy Editor of Varsity Newspaper