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Port Elizabeth – A Democratic Alliance candidate in Nelson Mandela Bay refuses to be intimidated, or run out by African National Congress supporters in her ward.
Candidate Yolanda Langbooi was campaigning alongside DA leader Mmusi Maimane in Ward 43 in Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday when a group of African National Congress supporters confronted them in the street.
Ward 43 is the area where the ANC is not fielding a candidate due to an error, giving it up to the opposition before the elections.
The two groups of supporters clashed with song and dance in the Uitenhage ward, with the ANC supporters calling for the DA to return to Cape Town.
"What has the DA done for you? Do you know who they are?" they shouted as Maimane and mayoral candidate Athol Trollip made their way down the streets.
‘My backyard’
The two groups tried to out sing each other in the middle of the street, with some women bending over and flashing their (clothed) bottoms at the DA group.
Langbooi, who grew up in the area before moving to the Northern Areas, said she would not be intimidated by the group’s antics and would continue to campaign in the area.
"They will not run me out from my own backyard. This is home. They cannot chase me away, whatever they decide to do," he said.
Maimane said he visited the area because the DA thought it was important for them to introduce their candidate to the residents and encourage people to go out in their numbers to vote.
He said they were not worried about the reception from the ANC members.
"The ANC doesn’t have a programme. They follow the DA wherever we go. They are like firefighters. It’s not the first time it has happened; I am used to it now. Whether it is the Western Cape, or here, they follow us," he said.
Maimane said some of them would join the DA soon, even as they sang and danced in support of President Jacob Zuma.
The DA leader was mostly welcomed with cheers, and tales of lack of service delivery. The door-to-door campaign often had supporters stopping Maimane in the streets for selfies, and he obliged each request.
Some residents, however, refused to open their gates to the DA, and shouted over their fences that they were staunch ANC supporters.
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