The Congress of the People (Cope) is calling for the direct election of South Africa's president, to give credence to the mantra that the people shall govern.

On Tuesday, Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota addressed a press briefing in Johannesburg, where he made it clear that citizens should govern and should be seen to govern.

"We want to amplify once again our call for a constitutional amendment for voters to directly elect the president of our country, instead of using the procedures under the current party list system that promotes party interests above the interests of the people of our land.

"This change should also apply to premiers and mayors. We adopted this position in 2008 and consistently repeated it in all our election manifestos," he said.

Lekota's comments come months ahead of South Africa's seventh democratic elections, which is set to be held between May and August this year.

The Constitution does not allow for the direct election of the head of state.

According to Lekota, retaining the present electoral system will give South Africans more abysmal failures as presidents.

"The national debt has soared, and the debt servicing costs, according to the National Treasury of South Africa, will, as a percentage of the main budget revenue, increase from 18% in 2022/23 to 19.8% in 2025/26 - and is expected to average R366.8-billion a year over the medium-term.

"In other words, R1 out of every R5 collected in taxes must be paid as interest on the debt. With only 80% of revenue left and the massive size of government draining much of what remains, service delivery and infrastructure development will be negatively impacted," he said.

Furthermore, Lekota said public services and several state-owned enterprises had collapsed.

"Over many years, the Auditor-General's reports have been shelved, allowing failure and corruption to continue without consequences. The president has failed to hold ministers accountable for their lack of performance and has lacked the moral courage to disclose their performance outcomes. This violates the values of openness, accountability and responsiveness," he said.

Lekota said the trust deficit between political leaders and ordinary South Africans had reached stratospheric levels.

"According to the 2023 South African Reconciliation Barometer, 79% of South Africans believe that leaders cannot be trusted to do what is right.

"Fikile Mbalula has just admitted how those at the helm of the leadership of our country misled Parliament. SoNA will be just another charade. South Africa would have been better off if a vote of no confidence debate kickstarted the new parliamentary year," he said.

In a lengthy post on X, Mbalula explained his comments.

"Other than members of the opposition and sworn enemies of the ANC, anyone who understood or interpreted the SG's remarks yesterday in Mpumalanga as an admission that the ANC assisted, abetted, aided or attempted to assist, abet or aid the former president in defrauding the government must have his/her head checked. The remarks must also be understood as political rally rhetoric and polemics," he said.

But Lekota was unfazed by the African National Congress's explanation.

He said if a new government was elected in the current electoral system, the paralysis in government would worsen.

"The economy will be damaged even more. Joblessness will increase. Any state-owned entity that has not yet been brought to its knees will be pulled down. Ministers will remain as consumed by political infighting as ever, and incompetence mingled with corruption will continue longer," he said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA on Tuesday laid criminal charges against Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Dr Blade Nzimande, for his alleged role in defrauding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) through kickbacks paid to him, NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khoza, and the South African Communist Party (SACP).

Last week, non-profit civil rights organisation the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said it had voice recordings containing "damning allegations about a patronage network in the Department of Higher Education, implicating Nzimande, Khoza, and several others".

The organisation alleged that Nzimande and Khoza were involved in the fraudulent scheme coordinated by corrupt tenderpreneurs to loot NSFAS through irregular contracts.

Outa released voice recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a representative of a service provider, which revealed how service providers allegedly paid millions of rand in kickbacks to Nzimande and Khosa and at least R1-million to the SACP.

On Monday, Nzimande rejected the allegations in a media briefing, vowing to take legal action. He said he would voluntarily subject himself to the African National Congress's ethics and integrity bodies.

Amid calls for him to step down, he stated that he was not guilty of corruption and added that there was no need for him to resign.

DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Karabo Khakhau said that Nzimande squandered his opportunity to take the public into his confidence, on Monday.

"He provided no evidence to contradict Outa's allegations and assure vulnerable students who depend on NSFAS or the public at large that he hasn't wilfully risked their futures to enrich himself and his comrades," said Khakhau.

ActionSA also rejected Nzimande's "theatrical attempt at a press conference", and said he evaded accountability through a "laughable tale" of being the victim of an elite conspiracy.

"Such delusions are unworthy of serious consideration," said ActionSA Youth Forum chairperson Hluphi Gafane.

She explained that in undermining the principles of transparency and accountability, Nzimande resorted to invoking racial undertones to shield himself from scrutiny - "a tactic befitting someone caught red-handed with his grubby hands in the cookie jar".

ActionSA is of the view that Nzimande lacked the authority to speak on behalf of poor students, owing to what the party calls a track record marred by a shameful combination of mismanagement, cronyism and corruption, which it says has only exacerbated the disenfranchisement of poor students.

Outa has also confirmed that criminal charges had been drawn up with regards to the leaked recordings against Nzimande, Khosa, Thula Ntumba, the directors of Coinvest as well as Coinvest Africa itself for corruption and bribery in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (No. 12 of 2004).

Outa said it would be sharing the report and recordings with the Auditor-General, the Public Protector, Werksmans Attorneys, the South African Revenue Service, National Treasury and the umbrella body for universities, Universities South Africa.

The report will also be given to the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation for oversight purposes, the organisation said.

Outa reiterated its call for Nzimande and Khosa to resign.

"If they don't want to resign, President Cyril Ramaphosa must for once show that he is putting the country before his party and remove them from their positions," the organisation said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday, through its student organisation, it will initiate mass mobilisation campaigns at tertiary education campuses across the country to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande.

Last week, a series of leaked recordings released by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) revealed the details of a criminal cartel operating inside the Department of Higher Education and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The recordings revealed that service providers that were awarded multimillion-rand tenders to administer direct payments to students allegedly paid kickbacks to NSFAS chairperson Ernest Khosa, to Nzimande, and to the South African Communist Party (SACP).

According to Outa, "This was done in return for tenders and protection for service providers."

DA leader John Steenhuisen said that these revelations demonstrated that nothing was sacred to the African National Congress (ANC) government.

He said the party was preparing criminal charges against Nzimande and was also briefing its legal team to declare the NSFAS board delinquent over the corrupt and irrational direct payment and accommodation tenders.

"This legal action is in keeping with the findings of the State Capture Commission, which recommended that it should become standard practice to declare board members involved in capture and corruption as delinquent," he said.

Steenhuisen announced that the DA would immediately submit a request under the Promotion of Access to Information Act to obtain a copy of the Werksmans report into the awarding of the direct payment tenders.

The party will write to Ramaphosa and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to demand that the scope of the SIU's investigation be broadened to include the alleged kickbacks to Nzimande and the SACP.

Steenhuisen explained that instead of supporting students who were working hard to rise above hardship to build a better future for themselves and the country, the ANC only saw "another opportunity to loot".

He highlighted that the awarding last year by NSFAS of direct payment tenders to companies with no proven track record had resulted in students being charged exorbitant fees for every transaction.

"In many cases, students also received their allowances late or not at all, leaving them unable to even buy food. Thanks to the recently released recordings, we now know why these lucrative tenders were awarded to companies no one had ever heard of: in exchange for kickback payments to Nzimande, Khosa and the SACP," he said.

SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION

Steenhuisen said in addition to cutting the accommodation allowance by R15 000 per year last year, the scheme now also required educational institutions and private accommodation providers to obtain accreditation at a cost of up to R200 per bed.

By the end of last year, only 6.5% of the beds required for the 2024 academic year had been accredited under the new system.

Steenhuisen believes that the "systemic corruption evident at NSFAS and the Department of Higher Education" is likely to trigger a serious crisis when students return to campuses later this month, only to find that they cannot access accommodation and are being charged to fund corruption every time they try to buy food.

He explained that ANC corruption and mismanagment had created a funding shortfall of over R1.1-billion, which meant that funding would be withdrawn from over 87 000 students, in addition to the 20 000 students who were already deprived last year.

"Instead of firing Nzimande and Khosa, [Ramaphosa] has remained silent, while the ANC has meekly suggested that Nzimande may appear before its so-called integrity committee. The Constitution spells out that only the President has the responsibility to act against corrupt Cabinet ministers," Steenhuisen said.

Rise Mzansi coopted several political bigwigs to oversee its independent candidate selection nominations for the upcoming general election.

On Monday, the party announced the names of experienced political players who will serve on its Independent Candidate Selection Nominations Committee (NomCom). They will have the final say as to who represents the party in the national and provincial legislatures as MPs and MPLs respectively.

In a statement, party leader Songezo Zibi said the NomCom will deliberate on the more than 400 nominations and applications received over the last few months.

Rise Msanzi's NomCom includes:

Brigalia Bam: former chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC);

Dr Sithembile Mbete: political scientist;

Boitumelo Lekoko: managing director of Lekoko Advisory, a certified fraud examiner, and elections governance expert;

Busi Mkhumbuzi Pooe: social entrepreneur and founding CEO of ThinkShift;

Neeshan Balton: civil society activist;

Professor Richard Calland: emeritus associate professor in public law, UCT, and visiting adjunct professor, Wits School of Governance; and

Motlatjo Seima: actuarial analyst and financial services sector professional.

"We have been impressed and motivated by the calibre of South Africans who have come forward to start the work of building a safe, prosperous, equal and united South Africa," Zibi said.

According to Zibi, the NomCom is tasked with overseeing the receipt of nominations and applications, considering nominations and applications by applying the "baseline eligibility criteria", assessing candidates against a selection assessment matrix, conducting candidate interviews and overseeing the party's election lists.

Zibi said the NomCom will have until the end of February to make recommendations to Rise Mzansi's national leadership. This will be followed by a notification of the preliminary list, and interviews of potential candidates will end with a final list to be announced. This will then be submitted to the IEC.

"Not only is Rise Mzansi looking for the best community leaders and representatives of the people, but we want them to be selected by the best. As per the People's Declaration, Rise Mzansi will elect the most capable and ethical leaders to represent South Africans in all our institutions of democracy," Zibi said.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande assured citizens that he has never used any money from any of his department's entities for the purpose of funding the South African Communist Party (SACP).

Nzimande was briefing the media on the claims made in an Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) report on this and related governance issues at the Department of Higher Education and Training, calling for "genuine evidence" to be made available.

Last week Outa called for the resignation of Nzimande and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board chairperson Ernest Khosa.

Outa released voice recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a representative of a service provider which reveal how service providers allegedly paid millions of rands in kickbacks to Nzimande and Khosa, as well as at least R1-million to the SACP.

This was done in return for tenders and protection for service providers.

The recordings and Outa's accompanying report are the latest bombshells in exposing corruption and mismanagement at NSFAS.

Nzimade explained that the SACP has already made its stance known on the "false allegations" contained in the Outa report and had rejected the allegations with "the contempt they deserve".

"I also wish to place it on record that I do a lot of party political fundraising, especially for the SACP, as is the case I am sure with leaders of all political parties. However, with the strict guidance from the SACP I am not permitted to raise funds from entities under my departments," he said.

Nzimande said that he was "taking the initiative" to go to the integrity committee of the African National Congress (ANC) and what is called the central ethics committee of the SACP to account and place "his side of the story".

"…But cooperating with any law enforcement agency I do not have a problem because I have no fear," he said.

He noted that the publishing of the report and leaking of the recording was "calculated" to disrupt the smooth start of the academic year and said it had no regard for the "plight and well-being" of poor and working class students.

"In any case, an organisation such as Outa doesn't care about ordinary poor black South Africans. [It is] an organisation of the elite that serves the interests of the elite," he said.

Nzimande said he would meet with the NSFAS board on Thursday to receive news of progress on the 2024 application process, finalisation of the 2023 disbursement and the implementation of the pilot project student accommodation reforms.

Intercape says the latest ruling holding police in contempt of court is a victory for the company amid rogue taxi associations' ongoing "violent campaign" against the long-distance coach industry.

On Tuesday, the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda found national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and Eastern Cape police commissioner Nomthetheleli Lillian Mene in contempt for failing to implement a plan to protect long-haul buses in the province.

Judge Motilal Sunil Rugunanan ordered the South African Police Service to take immediate steps to implement a safety plan to "provide for the safety and security of long-distance bus drivers and passengers in the Eastern Cape".

In the last three years, Intercape has opened more than 176 cases with the police, largely in the Eastern Cape.

Many of these cases involved violent incidents, and a number of the attacks led to serious injuries to employees and passengers.

Intercape executive chairperson Johann Ferreira said: "The ruling in favour of Intercape is important for the safety of our passengers and our business, but it is also hugely significant for the South African public."

He added:

Intercape is responsible for the safety of an estimated 360 000 passengers travelling with us this December, and we take this responsibility seriously.

Ferreira said the courts have repeatedly supported the company's calls for police to perform their duty to protect the public.

"Our hope is that [the] ruling will help make our country and our citizens safer by underlining the importance of the rule of law."

"Despite the extraordinary lengths that private enterprise has to go to defend its rights to do business safely in South Africa, our hope is that Intercape's continued legal victories will inspire other businesses to stand up and defend their interests and those of the public," he said.

The long-haul bus company has been embroiled in an 18-month legal battle to compel authorities to protect its passengers, drivers and property.

News24 previously reported that Ferreira said the cost of repairing damaged buses and providing medical treatment for staff and passengers injured in attacks was around R50 million.

Controversial advocate Thulani Makhubela has been recused as a Khampepe Inquiry commissioner, following complaints about his purported anti-foreigner views and support for anti-foreigner organisations on social media.

The inquiry was established to probe the circumstances that led to a blaze that claimed the lives of 77 people in Marshalltown in August. Some of the people who perished in the fire were foreigners.

In November, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute wrote to the commission after it saw a series of tweets on X, formerly known as Twitter.

SERI, which is participating in the commission, will submit information on what it calls a "housing crisis" on behalf of inner-city residents.

The institute alleged that public statements Makhubela had made on X over six years showed that he was closely associated with Operation Dudula and a supporter of Put SA First movements, which are xenophobic.

On Wednesday, inquiry chairperson Justice Sisi Khampepe delivered her judgment on SERI's application for the recusal of Makhubela.

She went through Makhubela's profile on X, including some of the posts he had made over the years.

One post read:

South Africa for South Africans first.

"Commanders morning. Being nice and respectful is not giving us results. It is time for accelerated programmes around illegal foreigners. Politicians who prioritise illegal foreigners over South Africans can also start packing. We will win this war," he said in another tweet.

A third one read: "You won't find South Africans in other countries dominating a city. We cannot surrender our country to foreign nationals."

News24 previously reported that Makhubela's X timeline was peppered throughout the years with comments about illegal foreigners. Still, the tweet pinned to the top of his timeline speaks about all foreigners, not just illegal foreigners.

"Attacks on illegal foreigners won't stop until gvt stops the take over of towns & townships by foreigners! government keeps wishing the problem away (sic)," he wrote on 21 February 2017.

A firefighter climbs a ladder as they extinguish a fire in an apartment block in Johannesburg.

Another tweet, from 24 March was made in response to a post from African National Congress secretary-general Fikile Mbalula about a Zimbabwean man telling the president to leave office.

It stated: "Secretary general, it is your party that has allowed these foreigners to run amok in this country! Please be decisive on foreigners, especially illegal ones."

Khampepe said impartiality was a cornerstone of fair and just proceedings and that an appearance of bias would impair the proceedings.

The annual package of Parliament's top administrator, Xolile George, went up from an advertised R2.6-million to a whopping R4.4-million in less than a year - all because he was recruited through a headhunting process.

Questions around George's salary have dominated corridor talks based on an assumption that he was appointed on the advertised package of R2.6-million.

But Parliament's spokesperson Moloto Mathopo has clarified that George was recruited through a different process - not the same one where the package of between R2.4 and R2.6-million was on offer.

The Democratic Alliance has since laid a complaint against National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for misleading the House.

In response to News24's question, Mothapo said there was no salary discrepancy in terms of the remuneration offered to the secretary.

"Mr George was recruited through a different process, i.e. headhunting, than that of the advertised position. These two processes must not be conflated as they are fundamentally different. A political party in Parliament has lodged a complaint with the Powers and Privileges Committee, alleging that the presiding officers misled Parliament. The presiding officers are looking forward to clarifying this matter at that forum and dispelling such claims that they acted wrongly in any way," he said.

News24 has seen documents that confirm George's salary was increased to R4.4-million after a review process.

There were also allegations that George received accommodation, VIP security and other undue benefits.

But Mothapo denied this.

"There are, frankly, no so-called enhancements or perks in the remuneration of the secretary to Parliament, other than a salary and employee benefits that are offered to all employees of Parliament," he said.

Mothapo added that security for the leadership of Parliament was not determined by the institution but by the police.

He said:

Therefore, we are not in a position to comment on their behalf. It is important to emphasise that the secretary to Parliament does not receive any perks of any kind.

Meanwhile, the DA's complaint against Mapisa-Nqakula will be considered by the Powers and Privileges Committee.

In a letter to Mapisa-Nqakula's deputy, Lechesa Tsenoli, DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said Mapisa-Nqakula improperly influenced the chief whips and MPs to endorse George's appointment.

According to Gwarube, this was done by fraudulently disclosing a much lower remuneration package.

"By dishonestly advertising the remuneration package of the secretary to Parliament at a lower salary band, knowing well that it was always going to be increased post the fact to secure Mr George's appointment, excluded many other credible and arguably more capable candidates from applying for the vacancy.

"The speaker's repeated reassurances to the chief whips that Mr George would earn no more than the highest notch of R2.6 million for the advertised salary package for the position arguably impeded the exercise by MPs - and ultimately the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces- of their oversight function of ensuring that a suitable candidate is appointed as the Secretary to Parliament, which constitutes contempt of Parliament in terms of sections 7(a) and (b) of the Act," Gwarube said.

In May 2022, Mapisa-Nqakula refused to discuss George's remuneration in an open forum like the National Assembly Programming Committee.

George's salary was a cause for much speculation, as it would appear that he would take a significant pay cut if he left his current post as CEO of the South African Local Government Association for Parliament.

In June 2022, News24 reported that MPs were apparently in the dark about Parliament's agreement with George, who took a massive pay cut from the R5.8-million he earned at Salga to about R2.5 million at Parliament.

The Powers and Privileges Committee is expected to look at the matter early next year.

The SA National Defence Force is facing exorbitant claims, with at least one claim topping R145-million for the alleged murder of a Mpumalanga man.

This was revealed in the Department of Defence's litigation report, which contained 10 court matters involving the department.

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise made the report available as part of a written response to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance's Kobus Marais.

In July 2020, 36-year-old Eunicent Dilebo died when police and SANDF soldiers responded to a mob justice incident in Chochocho Village, Mpumalanga.

Dilebo's brother Thabo told News24 that, on arrival, police and soldiers saw his brother's car parked nearby.

Soldiers instructed Dilebo to move his car. However, when he failed to move the car, soldiers allegedly used their R4 rifles to smash the windows, and allegedly assaulted the occupants with the butt of their rifles. Dilebo was shot while trying to run away.

On 11 August, Mabuza Attorneys wrote to then defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Sam Gulube, who was the secretary for defence, instructing the department to pay R20-million to Dilebo's family within 14 days or risk having to go to court.

But, according to the latest information, the family now wants substantially more.

"Summons served where it is alleged that the members [soldiers] of the SANDF shot and killed Mr Dilebo in Chochocho, Mpumalanga. The plaintiffs are claiming damages for an amount of R145 000 000. [The] State Attorney has been instructed to assist us and defend the matter," the description of the case reads.

A notice of intention to defend has been filed.

In Kimberley, a soldier killed one of his colleagues while they were deployed in Kimberley for Operation Corona. The family of the dead soldier is claiming an amount of R50-million.

The matter is being heard in the Gauteng High Court, and few details were given about the incident.

Another case in the North Gauteng High Court is that of Collins Khosa.

The family of Khosa are suing the SANDF for R72-million for damages that include emotional shock, medical costs, loss of support and constitutional damages.

The matter is still pending, and a negotiation/settlement proposal is under way.

Modise said the SANDF was aware of only one incident that was formally reported and investigated by the police, that being the death of Khosa.

"The claims are for general damages, loss of support and future medical treatment. It is noteworthy to remind ourselves that following that court ruling and court order thereafter, the incident in 2020, the then minister of defence and military veterans instructed the defence force to develop standard operating procedures and rules of conduct containing guidelines on how military personnel should conduct themselves in such operations as was ordered by the court."

Modise said the rules of conduct were presented to court as instructed and subsequently published both internally and externally for public knowledge, education and awareness, as per the court order.

"It should further be noted that all internal operations are coordinated by the police and supported by the defence force under Operation Prosper. As such, any incident would be investigated by the [SA Police Service] SAPS in conjunction with the defence force as was the case with the above-mentioned case," the minister said.

In another matter, the defence ministry instructed the State Attorney to claim damages against a service provider for delivering expired patrol ration packs. The amount to be claimed on behalf of the SANDF is R28.7-million.

This was discovered during the lockdown patrols.

Marais said any form of brutality against civilians by the SANDF was unacceptable, immoral and unethical.

"The role of the SANDF must never [be] to act indiscriminately against civilians inside SA. The Collins Khosa case exposed the inability of the SANDF to be deployed domestically due to the lack of training of soldiers for urban...

The year 2023 saw seismic shifts in South Africa's political discourse.

The state of the African National Congress is perilous, to say the least, and it's facing a major onslaught from opposition parties who have been chipping away at its core support.

Cadre deployment, loadshedding and State corruption are some of the ANC's major challenges, with the Democratic Alliance the loudest voice in making this known to the country.

The DA held an elective conference early in the year, where incumbent leader John Steenhuisen solidified his support.

It was at the same conference during which the idea of a unified opposition emerged. Known first as the moonshot pact, it evolved into what is now known as the Multi-Party Charter.

Political analysts, however, believe the DA is still hamstrung by its own internal challenges.

The DA's coalitions at local government have been somewhat of a damp squib - and, while it governs the City of Cape Town with a majority, it was unsuccessful in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Ekurhuleni.

The only success it attained was the coalition agreement in the City of Tshwane.

Political analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela said the DA's internal elections were a success, but not without drama.

"The person who contested John Steenhuisen subsequently left the position as councillor of Johannesburg. She is now no longer active in party activities. One can claim the ramifications of that contestation led to Mpho [Phalatse] being out in the cold. The fact that, soon after that congress, she left, and there was no post-conference reconciliation after a brutal battle," he said.

They eventually managed to form a stable coalition in Pretoria. They managed to work together with other parties. They learned an important lesson: to humble themselves and work with other parties. Under [Tshwane Mayor] Cilliers Brink, there is some stability there.

"In Ekurhuleni, it had to succumb to the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters coalition - similarly, in the City of Joburg. The DA failed in Joburg because they could not accommodate the Patriotic Alliance (PA). That is the consequence of the fact that the PA has proven to be a problem for the DA, even in the Western Cape.

"The DA finds itself uncomfortable to go into a coalition with a party that is threatening it in other parts of the country. I think the DA disappointed its coalition partners, like ActionSA, primarily because it can't have the PA in the same coalition."

Also, in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, there were setbacks.

"They have succeeded in holding one coalition and have failed in three others," Mkhabela said.

Steenhuisen said that, when he came into the leadership role, he inherited a party that was 12% at the polls.

"The leader had just walked off the job and trotted all over the party as he walked out the door. It was met with headlines from, ironically, News24, which famously said it was the death of the DA. Well, here we are in 2023, on the cusp of an election where the DA is up in the polls.

"Nobody talks about the next government in South Africa without talking about the DA. That is not bad for a party that was destroyed and written off as dead," he said.

According to Steenhuisen, the DA will be the second-largest party in the country.

"We will be, as we currently sit just 7% away from the ANC, with the opportunity that, if things go right, we will overtake them. Where we govern, we have been able to deliver for South Africans. We have not spoken about creating jobs and pushing more people into the unemployment line. What we do, backs up our offer to South Africans. You [are] going to need a strong DA to rescue South Africa," he said.

Political analyst Daniel Silke said the DA still found it very difficult to break from its traditional support base.

"It has made some progress in communities in South Africa - but, numerically, they do not seem to have built on its percentage of the broader vote in South Africa. On their own, the party is rather stagnant in its popular sup...