DA's Alan Winde urges Capetonians to brave cold and rain to vote

The DA’s premier candidate in the Western Cape, Alan Winde, has urged voters to not let the rain deter them from voting.

Capetonians woke up on Wednesday morning to freezing weather and pouring rain. 

Winde, who cast his vote at Batavia School in Claremont, Cape Town, said the rain could make a difference to the results, especially in poorer areas.

“This kind of weather does deter people. I say don’t be deterred. A lot of people fought very hard for our democracy - 25 years in, we need to make sure that we keep it going,” he said.

“I’m sure the rain ... does make a difference. People find it hard to get out of bed with rain outside, especially if you are living in a poor community where you don’t have pavements and you don’t have the protection.

“Looking at the weather patterns, it’s going to be intermittent, so there will be dry patches. My message has always been that as soon as you get your chance, get out there and go to vote as early as possible, because it’s unpredictable how strong it’s going to rain."

Speaking to journalists after casting his vote, Winde said voting was different for him this time around. “When you put your hand up to take a position like premier of a province … if you ask me if I slept last night, I think I did but from exhaustion.

“Most of the time you spend your quiet times contemplating the challenge ahead - this major task that is ahead. It's an exciting one, but also daunting because of the challenge ahead of us. You can't be blasé about that. It is a massive challenge,” he said.

If elected, one of the first things Winde aims to do is appoint a provincial cabinet and put those MECs through a benchmark-setting lifestyle audit. “We need to put mechanisms and tools in place that keep people honest, because obviously corruption in SA is becoming our brand and that is unacceptable,” he said.

Winde, who has been credited by the DA government for promoting economic growth and creating jobs in the province, said he would encourage more innovation if he wins.

“I want to take the economy and put it on steroids and create jobs. We’ve got the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. We’ve got to be creative," he said.

"Three of the big things I want to change are not provincial mandates, but we are going to fight for those problem areas to be solved: public transport, electricity and security.”