Western Cape ANC provincial secretary Neville Delport has left the African National Congress (ANC) to join the Democratic Alliance (DA), days after the ANC’s national leadership disbanded the party’s provincial executive committee.

The announcement was made by DA federal council chair Helen Zille at a media briefing in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The party also welcomed three other ANC councillors who have crossed the floor.

“We’re a party of values and principles, not a party of transactional politics,” Zille said. 

“People come to us and say, ‘We want to move from our current political home – how much will you offer us?’ And we say, ‘We won’t offer you anything.’

“We’ll do a normal, structured contract if you’re going to do some work for us, but apart from that there is absolutely no incentive or offer on the table. Some then say, ‘But so-and-so is offering me X,’ and I say, ‘Well, that’s just bad luck.’”

Zille said those who join the DA should do so out of commitment to its principles.

“You join the DA because you believe in what we stand for – an inclusive, non-racial society, constitutionalism, the rule of law, and growth that creates jobs and opportunity for everyone,” she said.

Zille drew a contrast between the DA and parties she described as being led by “leaders who control the party, the party controls the state, and the state controls society and the economy.”

“In the Western Cape, there’s another party that does that – the PA (Patriotic Alliance). The PA works largely on a transactional basis, offering incentives to people. We’ve had people come to us and say, ‘This is what we’re being offered – what will you offer us?’ And we say, ‘We’ll offer you values, not favours.’”

Introducing the new members, Zille said their move represented “the tip of the iceberg” of a growing realignment within the ANC.

“The gentleman sitting down with a cap on is probably the best known of all – Neville Delport, the elected provincial secretary of the ANC,” Zille said.

“He joins us today to demonstrate this growing realignment within the ANC – choosing values that the ANC once stood for: non-racialism, non-sexism, and the rule of law.”

Zille also welcomed three other ANC members joining the DA.

These included Daniel Baadjies, a Langeberg ward councillor, Paul Strauss a ward councillor from Cederberg and Jason Donn, a regional executive member.

“These are councillors who are prepared to fight their seats again, but not to fall in with values they don’t support,” Zille said. 

“This is just the start of a growing avalanche in the ANC that will gather momentum over the months ahead. I’m prepared to predict that the ANC will continue to disintegrate in this province. Its polling is the lowest it has ever been.”

Delport, who was elected at the ANC’s provincial congress in 2023, was removed last week after the party’s national executive committee disbanded the Western Cape leadership in a move it said was intended to improve electoral prospects.

Delport said his decision to leave the ANC was not a difficult one and was prompted by the national working committee’s recent “reconfiguration” of the party’s leadership structure.

This is a developing story.

IOL Politics

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