Xolani Mbanjwa

DA leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille hit back at President Jacob Zuma yesterday, labelling him a liar for his comment that voting for the opposition was the same as voting for hell.

Zille was addressing a gathering of about 400 DA supporters near Mamelodi in Stoffelpark, in northern Gauteng, where she threw down the gauntlet at the ANC’s “tsunami”, vowing that her party would turn South Africa “blue” come the local government elections.

Zille danced and sang with locals from ward 17, a DA stronghold in Pretoria, while on an election campaign to encourage voters to register for the forthcoming elections. She was accompanied by DA members of Parliament and the Tshwane council.

Earlier in the day there had been fears that Zille’s mini-rally would be disrupted by ANC supporters, who were seen driving past DA members who gathered outside the Mahube Mall waiting for Zille to arrive. But the fears were unfounded.

Zille spoke in isiXhosa and sang a version of Zuma’s famous rendition “Siyaya ePitoli, noma besidubula” (We are going to Pretoria even though they shoot at us) and shook hands with locals, while distributing a DA newspaper, the DA Link, a mouthpiece of the party in Gauteng.

“The blue whale is washing over South Africa, Tshwane and Mamelodi and we will win. We (DA) are the blue whale. The sky is blue, the sea is blue and we are going to paint South Africa blue. Who is going to bring a better life for all? Only the DA.

“Another party promised to bring you a better life for all. The ANC takes you backwards, but the DA will take you forward,” said Zille donning a blue African traditional shirt.

“You have to be strong if you are the DA, even when there are threats against you. When Zuma says that if you vote for the ANC, you are going to heaven and if you vote for the opposition you are going to hell, he is lying. Uyaxoka (he is lying). There’s only one God and he loves all of us and he gave you the freedom of choice,” said Zille to an enthused response from supporters.

She said Zuma was trying to instil fear in voters by making the comments.

“He is trying to make people frightened of the politicians but it’s not the people who should be frightened of the politicians, it’s the politicians who should be afraid of voters.”

The DA is beating the ANC in by-elections and we need to consolidate and build on that. In any democracy people get the government they deserve, so use your vote wisely” said Zille before taking a lengthy walk through the dusty streets of Stoffelpark, which was ravaged by the recent floods in Gauteng.

She said things would not change unless people started voting for other parties.

“You can’t keep voting for the same party and think that things are going to change,” said Zille before shooting down the ANC with “Phansi nge-ANC Phansi” (Down with the ANC).

While most locals looked on as Zille went past, a small group gathered to listen to her.

However, some said they had not heard anything different from Zille, to what they had heard from other politicians.

One resident, Mafa Legodi, said she was “fed up” of living in an informal settlement for 15 years and accused local authorities of illegally selling off land meant for people, to foreigners and “rich businessmen”.

Eslie Mtshweni, a mother of one, said residents and their schoolchildren from the area, often had to travel more than an hour to get to the nearest clinic and school.

“The road we had was washed away by the rains and we are shut off by the river if it rains.

“There is no running water and no electricity, we share three taps per street and they often don’t work.

“If we do vote things improve in some areas, but not the things we want,” said Mtshweni.