De Lille enters premier race

Announces candidacy for Western Cape

FORMER Cape Town executive mayor Patricia de Lille has declared her candidacy for Western Cape premier before this year’s much-anticipated general elections on May 8.

In a statement, De Lille’s new party, the Good movement, declared that their Western Cape Provincial Co-ordinating Committee had submitted only one, unanimous, nomination.

The party assessed nominees for its premier candidates for the past two weeks.

Good highlighted De Lille’s credentials, including her history as an anti-apartheid activist and former trade unionist, and said she became a member of Parliament in South Africa’s first democratic Parliament in 1994.

“De Lille is known for exposing the first major corruption scandal of our democratic era – the Arms Deal. De Lille was also the first woman to start a political party in South Africa. De Lille was the only mayor, since democracy, to complete a term of office.

“She was also the only mayor to be re-elected and she is the longest-serving mayor of any metropolitan government in South Africa,” read the statement.

According to the party, De Lille is giving residents the opportunity to elect a Premier with the leadership, experience, passion and energy to unite the province, grow its economy and care for its most vulnerable.

Their statement was made less than a week after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced, during his second State Of the Nation address, that the 2019 national elections would be held on May 8.

The IEC has welcomed the announcement, saying it provided a clear target for final preparations by all stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, political parties and voters.

Voter registration is available at local IEC offices, usually situated at municipal offices.

For more information, visit the IEC website at www.elections.org.za, or call the contact centre at 0800 11 8000.