Patriotic Alliance celebrates 9th birthday with bang

By: SelloTheletsane

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) on Saturday celebrated its ninth birthday in grand style at the Reiger Park Sports Arena in Ekurhuleni.

The party surprised most analysts countrywide in the 2021 Local Government Elections when it garnered 82 seats in various municipalities throughout South Africa, with its most notable successes being in the Western Cape and the Gauteng metros.

PA Deputy President Kenny Kunene introduced the party’s president, Gayton McKenzie, by running through McKenzie’s past and how McKenzie’s life story has been linked to the ongoing growth of the PA.

“This is the man who leads the only party that is not owned by businesspeople. He leads a party owned by the party members, who are doing it for the future of their children. This is a party owned by our children.

“This is the only leader who is fearless, because no one owns him.”

Kunene recognised the presence of numerous traditional leaders at the event, announcing that the PA would empower kings and chiefs.

“A chief is a chief and not a headman. You will be paid in a way that gives you dignity by this government.”

Kunene pointed out that McKenzie is the only mayor in the country who has never been paid a cent while being in office. He donates his salary to charity, does not use an official vehicle or council bodyguards or benefits from a government credit card, while himself continuing to donate to the payment of services. McKenzie famously fixed two public pools in Beaufort West and eliminated the entire bucket toilet system in the Central Karoo.

Thereafter, during his keynote address, McKenzie said that God needed to be returned to the heart of society.

“Everything that I have become is because of God. God is deciding where we are going. We put God at the centre of everything we do. If you agree, give God all the praise.”

He reflected on the USA ensuring that all its presidents were inaugurated with a prayer to have God bless America.

“In council, in all your meetings, you must pray before you start.”

He told the chiefs, princes and kings in attendance that he did not take their presence lightly.

“You being here denounces the lie that we are a coloured party. No, we are a colourful party. We will never forget that you were here. We are a spiritual party and you must know that in 2024, die ding kom ruk.”

McKenzie said the land of traditional leaders needed to be left alone. “It’s already in black hands. In 2024, moenie baiza nie. Tell your people to vote Patriotic Alliance or continue to endure suffering.”

He said he would not use the platform to give a long speech, since the party was about a celebration of the PA’s birthday and “I am wearing my All Stars because I’m here to dance with you today”.

He touched on five key points during his speech, starting with the issue of illegal immigration.

“Illegal foreigners must go home.” He also doubled down on the controversy of saying that undocumented foreigners should not feel entitled to medical care when South Africans were being denied services. “I will switch off their oxygen, believe me, if a South African citizen needs it and will die without it. Rather let the illegal foreigner die.”

He said illegal foreigners would have to be deported en masse, with rewards given to citizens who assisted with identifying illegal foreigners. “Let us use citizen arrests and be unashamed about it.”

McKenzie also slammed the concept of expropriation without compensation since that would destroy property rights and lead to the destruction of the country.

“All the land already in the possession of the state should be used for farming. And if we expropriate land from any farmer, there must be equitable compensation.

“As coloured people, we know what discrimination feels like. We will never discriminate against Indian, black and white people.”

He slammed people for trying to criticise him for not speaking out on the war in Ukraine.

“But what about our children being shot and killed on the Flats? Our moms and grandmothers losing their lives and their children in Eldorado Park?

“We can no longer be quiet if a police station does not have even one coloured policeman. Our people go in there to report what has happened to them but the police cannot even understand what they’re saying. How will they solve the crime?”

McKenzie was also derisive of people spreading the lie that coloured people had not been part of the struggle.

“When they tell you about Nelson Mandela being the longest-serving political prisoner in South Africa, tell them about Harry die Strandloper, the first prisoner on Robben Island.

“When they tell you about the death of Steve Biko, tell them about the killing of Ashley Kriel.

“When they talk about Andrew Zondo, tell them how they killed Anton Fransch.

“When they mention the June 16 massacre, tell them about the Athlone Massacre.

“When they talk about Walter Sisulu, tell them about Neville Alexander.”

McKenzie said it was high time for politicians to stop sitting in air-conditioned board rooms to theorise about the problems of the people who voted for them. What was needed was work on the ground and immediate service delivery and jobs.

“We are drunk on democracy. Look at countries like China, which has taken more people out of poverty than any nation in history. Don’t tell us about the Constitution when people can’t even eat.”

He said “this is a new time”.

“We don’t serve a God who sleeps. You have one duty from me today. Go and unite Indian, white, black and coloured people. In 2024 you will not be watching the inauguration on TV. You will be there, praying for redemption and the removal of the evil spirits that are there.

“When I become president in 2024, I will make sure this killing of our people stops. If you kill someone, I will kill you too. We will bring back the death penalty. Don’t vote for us if you don’t want the death penalty back.

“Number two, there will be no diamonds, gold, chrome, coal, oil, gas, iron ore, timber or any mineral leaving this country to go and create wealth and jobs in China only for us to buy the products back from them. They use our timber to make coffins there and then we bury ourselves in Chinese coffins. This is how we’re burying our economy and jobs.”

McKenzie said that jobs could also not be reserved only for young people, despite the youth unemployment crisis.

“Who says someone older can’t get a job? But you can’t be in your 90s in parliament. When I’m there, the third time you fall asleep, I will retire you.”

McKenzie reflected on his time this year as the Central Karoo District Mayor.

“They said my first 100 days were the best of any mayor in this country. But you ain’t seen nothing yet. When I get back there this week, you will see what comes next. We will open up the fracking, the uranium mining, the big factories, the solar and wind plants. Don’t tell us about the scorpions that will die if we start to mine. Let the scorpion die, if it means people can live.

“Our time to rise, patriots, is now,” he said, to loud cheers.

McKenzie then issued a warning to all the deployees of the PA that they should never make the mistake of forgetting about serving the needs of the people.

“The Democratic Alliance was a strong party with the help of the coloured vote. But they removed a coloured man, Dan Plato, as the Cape Town mayor and replaced him with a white man, even though Dan Plato was never charged with corruption.”

He warned people accusing the PA of “selling votes” to the ANC in the City of Johannesburg that they did not understand the PA, and where were their complaints when the DA had disrespected the PA throughout the Western Cape, which had seen the DA being removed from power in Knysna and other municipalities.

“The people saying that have never been PA voters.”

McKenzie asked the crowd if they believed he had sold their votes.

“No!” they shouted.

“No longer shall people’s CVs be thrown in the dustbin. No longer shall they walk the streets for more than five years to never get a job,” he said.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that they are more important than you in the PA. No one is more important. Don’t be a member of a member. Join the PA because you love the PA.”

He also told leaders from the ANC that the PA would never allow itself to become a “graveyard for ex-ANC members”.

“No. We want ordinary people to join the PA. We are not a branch of the ANC or the DA. We are coming for the refunds that belong to our parents and grandparents.”

McKenzie made it clear that the PA’s enhanced power and role in City of Joburg would soon result in services and housing being delivered to the many people who had been overlooked for decades.

“They said I couldn’t become a councillor. They said I couldn’t become a mayor. And they’re saying I can’t become the president.

“In 2024, you will see the thanksgiving church service on the lawns of the Union Buildings in Pretoria.”

The party’s 2024 campaign would be launched in February at Athlone Stadium, he revealed. “We are going to the battlefield.”