An Evening with John Steenhuisen MP

The 2016 Local Government Election is upon us. This election is extremely important for the future of South Africa, and we can ensure you that we are working tirelessly to ensure that not only the City of Cape Town stays blue, but that we are given the chance to govern other metros in other provinces.

In preparation and as a fundraiser, the DA Ward 57 branch will be hosting a get together with DA Chief Whip, the Hon. Steenhuisen, at 18h30 on 15 July 2016 at La Bottega, Woodstock – 160 Sir Lowry Road.  Here you will hear about the inspiring plans the DA has for achieving what we all deserve in South Africa.

If you haven’t seen John Steenhuisen in action, follow this link, and then book your ticket!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyVuke1x9DQ

Way to go Ward 57

Yet another Ward 57 success. A perfect venue, great food, and a rousing speech from John made for an enjoyable political evening.  The DA has the policy, it has the people now you as the voter must turn out on the 3rd to give us the votes.

Some photos:

An evening with John Steenhuisen 1

An evening with John Steenhuisen 2

An evening with John Steenhuisen 3

and some more on https://www.facebook.com/da.woodstock.1/

Protecting South Africa’s Fragile Democracy

This lecture was delivered by Mmusi Maimane on Tuesday 21 June 2016 at the London School of Economics. 

Given the prevailing sentiment towards my country at the moment, let me start out by saying that I have never been more positive about the future of South Africa than I am now.

If you have ever visited South Africa, which I hope you have, you may have been to the Cradle of Humankind just north of Johannesburg, where the oldest skeletons of the human species have been found. The lesson is simple: We have been in South Africa for 3.5 million years, and we will be there for many millennia to come. Don’t misjudge us! We will thrive.

Read it on Election 2016

South Africa has an ANC problem, not a Jacob Zuma problem

The ANC is beyond redemption. In Tuesday’s impeachment debate in the National Assembly, the ANC’s parliamentary caucus voted unanimously to retain Jacob Zuma as the president despite last week’s Constitutional Court ruling that he failed to “uphold, defend and respect the Constitution” during the six-year Nkandla saga.

Read more on Election 2016

Check your voter registration details

A message from DA Leader Mmusi Maimane as to why as many DA supporters as possible must register to vote.

Fellow South African,

The FINAL chance to register for the 2016 Local Government Elections is this weekend, 9 and 10 April.
We need you to help us get as many DA supporters registered to vote as possible.

Together we can continue to make progress in Cape Town, but only if every DA supporter registers to vote and votes DA.

Please make sure that all of your friends and family register to vote this weekend.

To find out where to register, or to check their details, they can visit https://check.da.org.za.

To check if they are already registered, sms their ID number to 32810.

If they need help registering, call the DA hotline on 0861 22 55 32 or email info@da.org.za.

This weekend, all voting stations will be open between 8am and 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. In order to vote in the 2016 Local Government Elections, it is essential that voters are registered correctly.

To register you must be:

1. A South African citizen;
2. 16 years of age or older; and
3. In possession of a valid bar-coded ID book/temporary ID/smart ID.

You will need to re-register if:

• You have moved since you last registered; or
• You were previously registered outside of the voting district that you live in.

This year’s election is neck-and-neck between the DA and the ANC. The DA once missed winning a municipality by JUST THREE VOTES! We can win in Cape Town, but only if every DA supporter registers to vote and votes DA.

I appreciate your support,

Mmusi Maimane
DA Leader 

2016 Senior citizens event

Monday the 7th of March saw many seniors from a number of retirement homes and social groups from around the ward – including Arcadia, Nazareth House, the Marian Institute and the Woodstock and Salt River Health Committees catching buses to the 2016 senior citizens outing hosted by Councillors Brett Herron and Paddy Chapple at Sea Point Pavilion.

It was a beautiful day which saw some of the seniors braving a relatively cold swimming pool. Games were played, friendships renewed and lunch was eaten, before everyone caught their lifts home, to reflect upon yet another enjoyable event, as can be seen from the photos (Click to open full size images).

Ward 57s new boundaries

Due to population shift and a number of reasons to numerous and involved to go into, the Municipal Demarcation Board has had to revise ward boundaries for the 2016 Municipal Elections.  As a consequence, Ward 57s boundaries have taken what we could call a jump to the right back – geospatially speaking.  As a result, we have:

Lost the following two voting districts: Chapel Street (now part of new Ward 115) and Nazareth House (now part of Ward 77), and

Gained the following two voting districts:  Bishops Prep and Rhodes High School

This re-arrangement will be communicated to voters in the coming months, as the appropriate measures are implemented, but for a start, if you are curious, and actually you should be given that this is an election year, click on the image of the  interactive map below to see where/if you are still registered in Ward 57:

New Ward 57 boundaries

Ward 57

Rocco de Villiers

ROCCO DE VILLIERS – ALL ABOUT THE PIANO
Don’t miss this year’s Ward 57 annual fundraiser which sees the return of the popular pianist Rocco de Villiers to the Theatre on the Bay on Thursday 3rd December @8 pm. Rocco’s latest instrumental show, has as its star of the night – the piano – at centre stage.

ALL ABOUT THE PIANO pays tribute to the most popular instrument of all, and is a celebration of beautiful melodies. Some sentimental, some nostalgic, some modern, some shockingly old –fashioned, some quirky, some funny,  and some serious, tragic and sad – but always beautiful, personal and very entertaining.

Winelands Toll Road – a calamity

Brett on his way – with supporters to Court

The DA will do everything in its power to prevent Sanral from “imposing an unjust, unwarranted and devastating tolling decision”.

Speaking notes from a recent presentation to the Cape Chamber of Commerce in which Councillor Brett Herron set out some of the important facts relating to the City’s case against Sanral. The first day of the High Court review is scheduled for 11 August and these notes will assist DA members and the broader public in answering many of the questions which they might have; and the calamity which needs to be avoided should Sanral get to build the toll road. Bottom line – Toll revenue will exceed road users benefits by 3X.

Speaking Notes – Toll Roads

Women’s Economic Empowerment Event

Photos of the successful and well attended WARD 57 – DAWN WOMEN’S DAY EVENT held on the 25 of July at the Double Tree Hilton in Woodstock.

For the original details, invite and photos …

Western Cape Provincial Congress

What can one say – the energy, music, excitement, and wave after blue wave of over a thousand delegates from all over the Western Cape standing up, sitting down, dancing, clapping, singing, passing motions, expressing support, shouting and cheering.  A rousing speech – read the Western Cape DA Provincial Congress address – by DA Parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane in which he announced that he had accepted the nomination as leader of the DA and hammered home a clear message – that the DA is on the move – and nowhere more than in the Western Cape under our newly elected provincial leader Patricia de Lille, deputy provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela and chairman Anton Bredell. We are gearing up and preparing to roll into more ANC wards come 2016.

Ward 57 was well represented by councillors Brett Herron and Paddy Chapple along with our non-public delegates. Reports, articles and analysis have been done elsewhere – see http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2015/04/18/patricia-de-lille-elected-as-the-new-leader-of-the-da-in-the-western-cape and http://citizen.co.za/365403/patricia-de-lille-new-da-wcape-leader/ and Provincial Congress Minutes.  As the photos below attest – “we have seen the future of the Western Cape, and it is going to be even more DA.”