DA pair set their sights on youth
Bhanga, Veliswa unveil their aims
THE two frontrunners in this weekend’s DA leadership battle have both promised to prioritise youth development and political involvement should they be voted into power.
Nqaba Bhanga and Veliswa Mvenya, who are frontrunners to take over from Athol Trollip as provincial leader, yesterday said if victorious, they would work hard to grow the party’s youth structures in the build-up to the 2019 general elections.
They were speaking to the Daily Dispatch on youth involvement in politics, their growth towards 2019 and race relations within party structures. Bhanga, who is a councillor at Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM), previously served in the ANC Youth League structures.
He said given his experience in youth and student politics, he would definitely help grow the party’s youth presence, especially at tertiary institutions. “The youth in our society is involved in three movements, the students, working youth and the unemployed youth.
“Hence we are definitely extending our student reach, starting with the Walter Sisulu University where I believe we can make inroads,” Bhanga said. The party’s student movement, Daso, has been enjoying a historic presence in some of the province’s tertiary institutions.
Mvenya, who has been very influential in the growth of the party in rural areas, said the youth structure was “key” to sustainability of the party. She however said there was no clear plan so far on how to include rural youth in such a plan.
“In rural areas our youth is not engaged fully in politics. They are onlookers in political activities. They are unlike their counterparts at universities. Reality is that it is still a challenge for most rural children to access universities where most get introduced to mainstream politics.
“Therefore this means we must design political engagements that are rural-based,” Mvenya said.
The party’s two-day elective conference at the East London ICC kicks off today and is expected to be addressed by Trollip today, and party’s federal leader, Mmusi Maimane, tomorrow.
It will be attended by more than 400 voting delegates and it is expected that either Bhanga or Mvenya will be favourites to take control of provincial leadership.
On party growth towards 2019, Bhanga said, should he be victorious, he would work hand-in-hand with the broader civil society in growing the party.
“We have seen how such [efforts] has brought the Nelson Mandela Bay to the DA,” he said, while he also emphasised the importance of improving the welfare of their activists in rural areas.
Mvenya said the party has been receiving positive growth in the province as a result of “hard work” by all in the party.
“However there is so much that we can do to convince our people that DA is an alternative through our strategy of touching the untouched grounds,” she said.
Bhanga said in South Africa, both blacks and whites needed to talk frankly about race, saying by doing so “we will have a better view of what the issues are, not only in the DA but across the country”.
Mvenya said the DA was the most diverse party in the country, saying for them to be able to work together, “we must recognise our differences and respect them”. —