Zulu dance celebrations dominate

SEVENTEEN years since its inception, the DA has become a melting pot of cultural diversity in Kwazulu-natal where it now boasts considerable support among Africans and Indians.

This is a far cry from its early days when it was perceived as a white party, serving the interests of a minority. The DA’S quest to garner support from black voters is bearing fruit.

An overwhelming majority of the delegates at their provincial congress were Africans.

On Friday, the DA announced the appointment of former member of the legislature in Kwazulu-natal Mbali Ntuli as its Kwazulunatal provincial director of campaigns and strategy to gain more black votes, especially in rural areas, in next year’s elections.

Zwakele Mncwango, of rural Nongoma, was re-elected as the provincial leader yesterday at the party’s provincial congress.

The news that Mncwango had pipped Emmanuel Mhlongo as provincial leader led to a frenzy at Durban’s Olive Convention Centre.

As the British band Queen’s We Are The Champions pumped from the speakers in the auditorium, Mncwango’s supporters flocked on to the stage, drowning out the song with their celebratory song Yithi Ojikelele (We are the rulers/ generals).

As the celebrations continued, Mncwango complimented his supporters by breaking into a rendition of the festive Zulu traditional dance called Ukusina, yet another example of the changing face of the DA.

The party’s black membership had its own songs and adapted Struggle songs that were commonly associated with the ANC, said Siyabonga Dlamini the DA’S Mkhambathini branch chairman in the Msunduzi constituency.

“Singing these songs shows diversity because the DA was known as a white party, but right now you can see a bevy of races and black people in the party sing their songs something the other races in the party appreciate,” Dlamini said.

He said they also remixed Struggle songs to communicate their party’s message.

Zizojika Izinto (things will change), ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign anthem for the ANC’S national conference in December, reverberated around the auditorium before Mncwango delivered his closing address.