Nicole Graham in the running for provincial leadership role
The position became available following the departure of former leader, Zwakele Mncwango.
THE eThekwini caucus leader for the Democratic Alliance (DA), Nicole Graham joins DA MPL Francois Rodgers and eThekwini councillor Emmanuel Mhlongo in the running for the position of provincial leader of the DA.
Also read: Durban CFO retires after 40 years of service
Graham, who announced her candidacy on Monday, said more than 500 delegates from across the country will cast their votes before the provincial leader is announced on 27 March.
“It will be a hybrid congress as there are over 500 delegates,” said Graham, commenting on the upcoming congress.
“I am fairly confident, I think I’ve done a lot of hard work over the years. I am someone who has a vision for the issues that matter and I care deeply for the people in my team and for the people we serve. I think I have proven that I am not afraid to fight for what matters,” she added.
The position became available following the departure of former leader, Zwakele Mncwango who served for two terms.
Also read: Durban’s Deputy mayor resigns, joins regeneration company
Graham (31) said she has made strides as a politician in her 10-year career.
“I have been involved in the DA since 2014. I joined the DA when I was in Matric through a friends I met at the Durban Youth Council. I was also involved when I studied at UKZN. I grew up in the Bluff and then moved to Glenwood where I was the ward councillor for three years from 2013 until 2016,” she said.
Graham was inspired to pursue a political career after working with the Durban Youth Council.
“We did a lot of community work and charity work which is incredibly important, but I realised it had its limits. We can only fix the problems in South Africa if we fix government and fix structural policies. I have always been a leader. During my time at the Durban Youth Council I was more exposed to the every day realities of South Africa and I thought to myself, ‘we can’t carry on like this’,” she said.
Graham said an ideal government would focus on the safety, health and education of its citizens.
“I think our government is far too big and it diminishes the effectiveness. It should exist to provide services, quality health care and education and to look after people who can’t look after themselves,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
