End November saw the birth of yet another political party in
South Africa and in particular the Western Cape. The birth of political parties
has become a trend, before an election, so what makes this one stand out.
For starters some claim it was started by Businessman aka
sushi-king, Kenny Kunene and his business associate, Gayton McKenzie. They
might be the resources support of this party and Kenny might have registered
the party – I mean like in really get someone who will give you a catchy headline
to register your party and you will definitely get more than a community newspaper
covering your conference – but I doubt this is their brainchild.
I firmly believe Kenny is not the driving force behind the
Patriotic Alliance. Kenny might have the money, but it is a community leader on
grassroots level who can mobilize more than a hundred, even two hundred people,
to attend a political gathering. Not even Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom
Fighters-party (of which Kenny was first a member) could attract 50 people to
its gathering in Cape Town recently (I think they were even less than ten). And
JuJu is well a bigger political force than Kenny.
I have this theory in my head that the driving force behind PA
is the many unhappy former Independent Democrats-members, the party started in
2003 by former PAC MP now Cape Town Executive Mayor under the banner of the
Democratic Alliance, Patricia De Lille. In 2010/2011 the ID and DA decided on
dual membership and while some ID-members might have joined the DA, let’s not
turn a blind eye to the many who decided not to follow the leader.
Interesting or part of PA’s strategy to note the Patriotic
Alliance’s Policy (launch) Conference took place the same weekend as the
Independent Democrats held their last conference.
The ID will cease to
exist, as it will not take part in next years General Elections and also did
not take part in the 2011 Local Government Elections.
Not that my opinion matters but do I think PA can go up
against a few heavyweights? If next year was a LGE, without a doubt they might
have won a council or two, even three.
Taking the performance of the ID, Cope, ACDP and a few
others in a General Election into consideration, it would not surprise me if PA
actually won a seat in the provincial legislature, flip not even a seat in the
National Assembly would surprise me. I don’t think though that they would get
enough votes to govern or even be the official opposition. I don’t even think
they would get a million votes. I do know though I would not ignore PA and Push
Asside their bark, they appealing to a very influential group/s in the Western
Cape and if their leaders in the community could get more than a hundred people
to a meeting without any advertising, publicity or mentioning of PA before
their official launch, they likely to double those numbers now.
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