DA Federal Council Chair Helen Zille.
- Helen Zille, outgoing DA federal council chairperson, addressed the DA federal congress at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, with 2 000 delegates present.
- Zille emphasised the DA’s commitment to liberal democracy, rejecting far-right and “woke left” politics, and uniting under shared values.
- She expressed confidence in the new generation of DA leaders and received a standing ovation after her speech.
Democracy must be defended again and again in each generation, said outgoing DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille as she handed over the baton to a new generation of leaders.
Zille addressed the DA’s federal congress on Saturday morning, as 2 000 party delegates gathered at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
“My friends and delegates, my blue family…” Zille greeted the congress before joking that the tightly run schedule didn’t allow her to dance.
She said the DA hadn’t invented its principles, but had inherited them from its predecessors.
Zille added that history showed that the first 500 years of establishing a liberal democracy were the most difficult. It is unclear whether this political science joke landed.
She said that in political evolution, 67 years was a blink of an eye, and that the DA and its precursors had “made extraordinary progress” in soil that was not fertile for liberal democracy.
According to Zille, when historians ask why South Africa took this course, the answer will be the DA.
She said they had taken on two ethno-nationalist organisations.
According to her, people will try to divide the DA and use its diversity against them.
Zille said the DA didn’t know white or black people.
“We call ourselves the blue people,” she added.
And, Zille continued, they were distinguished by their shared values and bound together by something greater than themselves: a shared commitment to make South Africa succeed.
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She said the DA had to reject the politics of the far right and the “woke left”, while holding the “rational centre” of South African politics.
“Democracy is never finally won. It must be defended again and again in every generation.”
Zille added that she was passing the baton to a new generation of leaders with great confidence.
“I truly love you guys,” she said before leaving stage left to a standing ovation.
