At a rally in Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium on Saturday, Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie addressed coloured voters in the Western Cape, asserting, ‘I won’t plead for your vote. You will vote for the PA.’
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Declaring an end to years of neglect and marginalisation, McKenzie stated, ‘We’ve endured being sidelined for too long, but those times are behind us.’
With over 30 000 attendees packing the stadium to its limits, many disappointed supporters had to gather outside due to space constraints.
McKenzie highlighted the plight of many coloured voters in the Western Cape, emphasising their struggle to make ends meet despite constituting the majority in the region. ‘I want to shed light on the challenges coloured people face in South Africa, and if it discomforts you, I welcome it because it’s a discomfort that’s long overdue,’ he remarked.
Expressing frustration with longstanding neglect, he declared, ‘Coloured people have endured a culture of settling for scraps for far too long. That ends today.’
Notably, the PA secured victory in two wards previously held by the DA and ANC in the province just last week.
In Oudtshoorn, the PA claimed a ward victory with 1 279 votes, securing 65.4% of the total. Additionally, in the Swartland municipality, they clinched another ward with 853 votes, amounting to 40.18% of the ballots cast.
Turning his attention to the Middle East, McKenzie said the PA was a pro-Israel party, given its biblical roots and beliefs.
‘I don’t have that right to tell a Muslim to, to go against the holy Quran. Who am I to tell a Muslim? You must not follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. I can’t do that. I will never do that.’
‘But in the same breath, no Muslim should tell me I should not follow the holy Bible. I will never stop following. I must, I believe in the God of Abraham. I’m a child of God. My Bible tells me if you curse Israel, you shall curse yourself,’ he said.
McKenzie added that he could not have moments of silence for lives lost in the Middle East when lives were lost on the Cape Flats and in violent areas near Johannesburg.
The rally then turned festive, with performances from Master KG and Dr Malinga.
Local group Temple Boys CPT also performed.
Boxes of KFC were also handed out to attendees.
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Picture: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images
