Cape Town - THE GOOD party is on a mission to unseat the DA in the Western Cape by ensuring that it gains less than 50% of the vote come 2024.
In an interview with the Weekend Argus, the party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, spelt out the party’s ambitions for the upcoming national and provincial elections.
December will mark four years since the party was launched by former DA leader Patricia de Lille and went on to contest the 2019 elections, where they secured one seat in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP).
“We certainly believe that we’ll increase our share in the WCPP and drag the DA below 50%. The DA has failed to improve the lives of poorer South Africans in the areas where they govern, focusing on ‘protecting their own’ – the rich and the white – and vectoring itself back to its National Party routes. Voters are now seeing them for who they are,” said Herron.
But the Western Cape is not GOOD’s only target, with Herron stating that they were just as eager to enter other provincial legislatures in the country.
“We have a skilled, passionate and diverse team of activists in Gauteng that we have a lot of belief in. Similarly, in the Eastern and Northern Capes, we have entered local councils and expect to translate that growth into seats in these provincial legislatures,” said Herron, adding that they also plan to make breakthroughs in other provinces where they do not yet have representation.
“The Western Cape will always have great sentimental value to us as it is where we made our first breakthrough. We see great potential here, but we also see how so many are locked out of opportunities to improve their lives in this deeply unequal province. We will be fighting for the interests of all South Africans in 2024.”
Responding to questions on whether they see themselves rising to become one of the top three political parties, Herron said they need to be “realistic and acknowledge that we are still a very young political party.”
"It will be hard to surpass some of the old parties at national level in this election. That doesn’t mean we do not have ambitions to grow and outperform the older parties. We have already proven that we can do this when we contested by-elections and won,“ he said.
In the event that GOOD was to obtain an outright majority in the elections, it promised to “modernise the government and make it fit for the 21st century and all the challenges that it brings.”
“Appointments would be based on merit, not political cronyism,” said Herron.
“We would have a younger cabinet, with a more representative racial, gender and generational mix. We will tackle the energy and climate crises at the same time, unleashing the full potential of renewable energy in South Africa to end load shedding, sustain our planet for future generations and unlock hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
When it comes to coalitions, Herron said GOOD would work with anyone who shares their vision for a “fairer and more just South Africa”.
“We don’t rule anyone out at this stage, nor do we have any ‘preferred’ coalition partner. Our approach to coalitions is one that is principles-based.
“We will not seek power and positions for the sake of it. We will only sign up to deals that plot a clear path to delivering quality services and stable governance. We will leave coalitions that do not follow this purpose, as we left the ANC coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay.”
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the party had lofty dreams.
“GOOD is virtually non-existent nationally. The spot that it could have occupied has been taken by ActionSA. It remains largely provincially based,” he said.
“Having said that, it would need to do more to be able to drag the DA below 50%. With the ANC on a continuous decline, I don't see the DA losing Western Cape. The ANC also behaves as a party that has given up on the province. That on its (own) presents a small opportunity for the GOOD party.”
Weekend Argus.