Newly elected DA leader for the Eastern Cape, Nqaba Bhanga, was not present at the East London ICC on Saturday where he was announced as the winner of the provincial election.
Bhanga beat MPL, Veliswa Mvenya, for the top spot at the DA's provincial congress.
DA members were seen celebrating Bhanga’s win but at that stage no one knew where he was.
Bhanga arrived at around 11am where he, and the new provincial leadership, addressed a media briefing.
Explaining his late arrival, Bhanga said he had been "nervous" and "anxious"
He also said that "we want to build an SA where all South Africans are going to live together, both black and white."
"The DA is the correct platform. There is no other party in South Africa that has the audience and political leadership that is (as) diverse as our audience. This is the institution where can correct the ills of South Africa. We talk to all people, black and white," said Bhanga.
He also thanked former EC leader, Athol Trollip, “for giving me that opportunity.”
“I am not ashamed, people say I'm a lackey of a white person and a pawn. I always say, I'm not embarrassed to be a friend to Athol Trollip," he said.
"We must celebrate the legacy of people who have done well," said Bhanga.
He said if people refer to his association with Trollip means that as a black person he can't think for himself, then "that's well and good for me."
Earlier, DA leader Mmusi Maimane, said it was “fitting that the first of our Provincial Congresses is held here in the Eastern Cape.’
“This province, and specifically Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, set the stage for last year’s municipal elections, Maimane said.
“From the hills of Pondoland to the beaches of the Bay, this province was always the ANC’s. It was their heartland and their stronghold.”
“But, the Eastern Cape is equally important for the DA. It is not only our foot in the door in a province where nobody gave us a chance until very recently, it is also our biggest opportunity to show the country what we can do in government,” he said.
Maimane was also full of praise for erstwhile provincial leader and NMB Mayor, Athol Trollip.
“Mayor Trollip and his team inherited a metro in critical condition. From housing lists, to the rollout of services, to corruption and unemployment, Nelson Mandela Bay was handed over in a terrible state,” he said.
“It is now our job to fix it – to build a metro that can offer a better life for all the people who live there,” the DA leader said.
Presiding officer, Anchen Dryer, said that the vote and the vote count proceeded without a single query, objection or contest, and that is testament to the DA commitment to free and fair elections.
“The new DA Eastern Cape Leadership is charged with continuing to create positive change in the Eastern Cape and working to continue growing the DA to provide opportunities to more and more people in this province,” she said.
The full complement of newly-elected DA Eastern Cape leadership is:
Provincial Leader: Nqaba Bhanga
2 Deputy Provincial Leaders: Bobby Stevenson and Terence Fritz
Provincial Chairperson: Andrew Whitfield
3 Deputy Provincial Chairpersons: Yusuf Cassim, Kobus Botha and Marshall Von Buchenroder
