PRESS RELEASE: Zille Greets Referendum Party Convoy, Tripartite Alliance More Muted

A Referendum Party (RP) convoy circled Cape Town yesterday passing the National and Provincial Parliaments, the DA and ANC’s Western Cape headquarters, and the Mayor’s office at the Civic Centre.

Large mobile signs highlighted the terrible economic performance of the Western Cape under the DA’s 15 year rule in the province, where for a decade economic growth has averaged just 1,1% and where one in four people remain unemployed.

DA Federal Chairperson Helen Zille came out onto a first floor balcony to greet the convoy and shared a good natured and very public exchange with RP leader Phil Craig.

Craig thanked Zille for all that she had done for South Africa but asked her to do one more thing, allow the Western Cape people to determine their own destiny. He pointed out that the RP believed the DA has the economic policies to deliver real economic growth and to drastically reduce unemployment, and that the Western Cape people had endorsed these policies. He then pointed out that the majority of Western Cape voters had never once voted ANC, yet the ANC were blocking these policies from being implemented. Craig said self-determination was the solution and challenged Zille to call a referendum on Cape Independence.

The Tripartite Alliance were holding a protest outside of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. As the RP convoy passed by on several occasions, Craig agreed with the Tripartite Alliance that the current rate of joblessness was unacceptable but pointed out that Cape Independence was the solution. RP Candidate Luyolo Peter went further saying ‘while you are dancing here, other people are not working’.

‍Video footage of the convoy can be viewed here, courtesy of Joe Emilio.