Return of the White Men

Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope

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Walking into the Western Cape provincial legislature on Wednesday felt like Rip van Winkle waking up after a long snooze and finding things have been turned on their heads.

It was as if a sudden floor crossing had taken place. Two weeks after the Western Cape voted overwhelmingly for the DA it was sitting on the ruling side of things. And what was truly amazing was the return of the white men.

Helen Zille, who took her oath of office amid loud cheers, came into the legislature with 15 white men, four coloureds and two Africans. This after she won the province with the overwhelming support of the coloured community, which makes up 52% of the eligible voters.

The results also highlighted the fact that, despite its best efforts, the DA has yet to break into the African electorate. It polled less than 3% of the African vote -- confirming the major racial fractures in the province. And only four of the DA’s 22 legislature members are women, compared with the 50% of the ANC’s representatives.

During the rowdy inauguration, chaired by a smiling Judge Dennis Davis, who was clearly enjoying proceedings, the ANC’s Patrick McKenzie, former provincial safety and security minister, asked Zille where the Mitchells Plain members were.

ANC representatives laughed loudly when ANC provincial chairperson Mcebisi Skwatsha asked: “Ag nee man, Zille, why you bring all these white men into the legislature?”

Speaking in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa, Zille delivered a speech that was, at times, moving. She will be the province’s first white woman to move into Leeuwenhof -- the premier’s official residence -- and said that the position presents her with her “life’s greatest public challenge and responsibility”.

Teenage pregnancy and drug abuse are “the two most serious inhibitors of opportunity and rights in our province”, she said, “and, in fact, the two often go hand in hand. Police estimate that up to 80% of crime in this province is linked to substance abuse -- as are the majority of fatal accidents.”

Corruption had become a cancer in our society, she added, and promised an open and accountable government.

She is scheduled to announce her ministers on Friday, and Wednesday’s voting made it clear that she will not form coalitions with the Congress of the People, the ID or the ACDP, who all won seats in the legislature.

Cope’s three members -- Allan Boesak, Mbulelo Ncedane and Tozama Bevu -- and the ACDP’s Pauline Cupido are probably the four who spoiled their votes in a secret ballot for the premier, while the ID’s two members no doubt threw their votes behind Zille.

This sets the scene for a future in which the DA will go it alone and the ID will get one minister, Izak “Sakkie” Jenner, who is tipped for the sports and recreation portfolios.

The Mail & Guardian understands that Zille did approach Cope to form a coalition but on condition that neither Boesak nor Ncedane would be offered ministerial positions; Bevu, though, would be acceptable. Cope refused the deal.

Her likely cabinet

  • Theuns Botha -- possibly agriculture or local government
  • Ivan Meyer -- education
  • Robin Carlisle -- transport
  • Anton Bredell -- local government and planning
  • Bonginkosi Madikizela -- housing (and the only African minister)
  • Lennit Max -- not clear whether Zille will risk the highly controversial police commissioner for the community safety portfolio, but it is the obvious place for him
  • Alan Winde -- finance, but also a strong contender for environmental affairs
  • Gerrit van Rensburg -- agriculture (he was the former New National Party’s minister in this portfolio)
  • Sakkie Jenner -- the ID’s sole likely minister, probably sports and recreation
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Source: Mail & Guardian

I must confess that I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this pans out. It's exciting :)
 
LOL on Boesak, he was the reason why I and many other Whities did not vote COPE. Would rather vote for 22% 4 Woodwork Malema than hime
 
Maybe they were the most qualified people for the job? Maybe race was not part of the selection process for Zille?
 
cbrunsdonza said:
LOL on Boesak, he was the reason why I and many other Whities did not vote COPE. Would rather vote for 22% 4 Woodwork Malema than hime
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As loathe as I am to admit this, I feel the same.

Nod said:
Maybe they were the most qualified people for the job? Maybe race was not part of the selection process for Zille?
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*nod* That's exactly my feeling as well. Personally, I'd rather have 5 black people who could do the job and have the skills, than 5 white people who don't - and vice-versa.
 
So much for the most racially diverse party in SA. :rolleyes:
 
sox63 said:
So much for the most racially diverse party in SA. :rolleyes:
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Hmmm I'm sure you're one of those people who bitch when a sports team doesn't represent the racial diversity of a country as well. Merit is how people should get positions, not skin colour.. :rolleyes:
 
RetroBok said:
Hmmm I'm sure you're one of those people who bitch when a sports team doesn't represent the racial diversity of a country as well. Merit is how people should get positions, not skin colour.. :rolleyes:
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It's either the DA currently does not have deserving Black candidates, or they are being sidelined in favour of Whites? Which one is it.

When Helen Zille was campaigning, she alwys appeared on TV in a company of black ladies in blue T-shirts. Was that for the show?
Where are those hordes of Black people now?
 
When are they gonna STOP bringing the skin-colour into these matters? When???
 
JungleBoy said:
It's either the DA currently does not have deserving Black candidates, or they are being sidelined in favour of Whites? Which one is it.
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Either you don't like looking facts in the face, or you're adamant that there's a racial agenda behind everything. Which is it?
 
JungleBoy said:
It's either the DA currently does not have deserving Black candidates, or they are being sidelined in favour of Whites? Which one is it.

When Helen Zille was campaigning, she alwys appeared on TV in a company of black ladies in blue T-shirts. Was that for the show?
Where are those hordes of Black people now?
Click to expand...

Back to their shack dwellings:D
 
Lycanthrope said:
Either you don't like looking facts in the face, or you're adamant that there's a racial agenda behind everything. Which is it?
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Yes there is. The DA's election campaign certainly had a racial agenda behind it.
 
JungleBoy said:
It's either the DA currently does not have deserving Black candidates, or they are being sidelined in favour of Whites? Which one is it.

When Helen Zille was campaigning, she alwys appeared on TV in a company of black ladies in blue T-shirts. Was that for the show?
Where are those hordes of Black people now?
Click to expand...


I don't know, you tell me, you're the one that's insinuating it's the latter. They may not currently have suitable "non white" candidates. Maybe they're "prepping" them. Who knows I really don't know. As long as the person whose doing the job does a good job I couldn't care if they were pink/black/brown/yellow/white.

Yes it probably was for show, just the same as Zuma hugging Madiba.... :rolleyes:
 
WTF, seriously. The day Black people realise that everything in the world is not about them. Maybe and only maybe SA can move forward. I read this thread and then read the posts by Jungleboy and really start to think, do I really want to build forward on a nation like this ? Should I not maybe just take all my white friends, join the Boeremag and just drive them blacks to the shores to be shipped somewhere.

Daily I read posts about colour this, EBE than and everything else. I'm getting sick of it now. The black people of SA should realise that we're all South Africans move away from your I'm black so I'm great metality.

The World is not black, nor is anything else. Africa and only Africa is where you might feel like the cream of the crop. But you need a reality check, the World is moving forward and so should you. If you don't, keep on moving backwards, make enemies and die by your own creation.

You need a wake up call.

Seriously, things like this will make me racist I swear to you
 
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