By: ANG Reporter
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has thanked the residents of Ennerdale, Finetown and Meriting in Ward 7 in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) for granting the party an overwhelming victory on Wednesday by 1 549 votes against the ANC in second place, nearly double what they received.
In a statement, the PA congratulated it’s councillor Lois “Wizza” Simonse “for running such a positive, sustained campaign and for now becoming the PA’s ninth councillor in the CoJ council”.
“May you serve the residents of Ward 7 with the distinction, humility and relentless work ethic that we have grown accustomed to from you.
A very great thank you must go to Amelia Zama, who joined the PA from the ANC after much prayer and reflection with her family. Without her decision, there would have been no by-election and no opportunity for the PA to demonstrate that there is a growing hunger for the PA’s purpose and passion in our communities.”
“The PA continues to grow from election to election. We grow, despite the escalating media onslaught against us. We grow, despite the negative campaigns of fellow political parties. Even ActionSA could not resist the opportunity to peddle the lie that the PA and the ANC are one and the same thing.”
“They know better and we hope that this by-election will cause them and other parties, particularly the DA, to reflect on how they are approaching politics in this country.
Voters are tired of parties just hurling insults at each other. They want their lives to change for the better. They have entrusted the PA with power because we are open about the fact that we are in politics for power. Without power you can change nothing, and people are crying out for change and hope.”
“We are indeed the last hope.
This was the third time we went head-to-head with the ANC in Ward 7. On the previous two occasions, we came agonisingly close each time to winning, but this time victory was certain and overwhelming.”
“We do not believe in giving up and never shall. What is most emotional for us about this enormous victory is that it came amid all the panic and manufactured controversy of the Democratic Alliance. Their candidate, Randell “Rara” Markgraaff, withdrew from this election for the simple reason that the DA was never serious about winning Ward 7 and wanted the ANC to retain the ward.”
“They knew they could not win it, but their greatest fear was that the PA would win it.
Rara, understandably, lost faith with a party that had no faith in him, who wasn’t supporting him and was lying to the voters about being anti-ANC, when in fact it is anti-PA. The DA should rather look itself in the mirror and be honest about why its own candidates can abandon it mid-election instead of inventing fantasy stories about people like Rara supposedly being bribed with millions.”
“That was a heinous lie and was the final act of disrespect towards a genuinely good young man who was not made to sell out for money. He, himself, was sold out to the ANC, and for nothing. The DA is terrified of the PA because they know their majority in the Western Cape is now under serious threat.”
“With another three by-elections looming on the horizon in George, let us see how much more it will take for the DA to learn to sell themselves to voters on their own merits, if they have any. Perhaps they will stop this rubbish of trying to smear their biggest threat, the PA.”
The PA had a strong message for Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA who lost hopelessly despite running an anti-PA campaign,
“It’s a lesson that ActionSA perhaps learnt in Ward 7 this week after putting up posters and messages falsely claiming that a vote for the PA is a vote for the ANC. As we have always said, a vote for the PA is a vote for the PA. End of story.
Although ActionSA was able to grow its support in some of the more traditionally ANC voting districts in Ward 7, when it came to the PA’s support base areas, they fared dismally.”
“Their lies and insults did not work and the DA got more support than them in three voting districts despite not even having a single poster on a pole anywhere.”
Awesome congratulations 🎉 Patriots 💚💚💚