Leon+in+racism+tirade



=Leon rips into ruling party in racism tirade=


 * The Star, Johannesburg, January 23, 2006**


 * By Christelle Terreblanche, Political Bureau**

In the first true election salvo in the battle for Cape Town and the Western Cape, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon has highlighted the provincial ANC's divisions, and perceptions of racism against coloured people.

Speaking at Boland Park cricket stadium in Paarl at the weekend, Leon also highlighted the row over Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's holiday to the United Arab Emirates.

He referred to the perceptions of racism which continue to bedevil the Western Cape, homing in on the dismissal of Cape Town metro mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo's former spokesperson, who was fired amid a dispute relating to his posting of racist comments on a website.

"The ANC gave us Blackman Ngoro," Leon told an estimated 2 500 supporters. "He said coloured people would 'die a drunken death'. Is that what the ANC calls 'non-racialism'? "The ANC says it represents 'our people'. But what is 'our people'?

It's not the black community, that's for sure. "If the ANC really cared about black people we wouldn't see such angry service-delivery protests in black communities.

"The truth is that when the ANC talks about 'our people', it means jobs for pals. It means contracts for cronies. It means free holidays for the family of the deputy president.

"It is time for the Western Cape to say No!"The DA has launched its election campaign under the slogan "Stop corruption - start delivery" and is due to reveal its detailed election manifesto at the weekend. The party has made no bones about fighting all-out for the Cape Town metro, which it won in the 2000 election with its former coalition partner, the New National Party. It lost control of the city when the NNP crossed the floor to the ANC in 2002.

The contest between the ANC and DA is expected to be the most heated in the March 1 municipal elections, with much hinging on the historically low and declining coloured vote.

Yesterday, Leon went into the fight seemingly with all guns blazing.

"Does the ANC really want to govern the Western Cape? If they do, why do they tell the police not to use Afrikaans or Xhosa?

"If they do, why do they impose national race quotas on a different local population? If they do, why do they give municipal jobs and contracts to people from Gauteng instead of local people?"

Highlighting specific delivery failures, Leon promised voters clean, efficient, caring and visionary governance, including swift punishment of corruption and protection of the most vulnerable, especially children.

"We will cut costs by outsourcing services," he added. "We will make the poor our priority. We will expand opportunities in depressed areas.

"We will build local economies that can compete in a changing global market. We will make sure that South Africa is ready for the 2010 World Cup."


 * christellet@incape.co.za © Star 2006. All rights reserved.**


 * From: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=3077406**

491 words