DA Leader Mmusi Maimane. Picture: Neil McCartney
Top Democratic Alliance (DA) leadership including party president Mmusi Maimane and Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga marked Heritage Day by meeting at the Codesa walkway, an exhibit at Emperors Palace marking the fact that the casino is situation where the World Trade Centre, where the Codesa negotiations took place, once stood.
The Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) talks are seen by some to have paved the way towards a democratic South Africa, but not everyone remembers the historical negotiations fondly.
Some took to Twitter to voice their opinion that the Codesa talks “sold out” black South Africans.
“All Codesa deals upheld, perpetuated and protected apartheid earned white privilege,” one user responded to tweets on the DA’s activity.
Another user said Codesa was aimed at “maintaining white man’s heaven on earth in Mzansi.”
In particular, the so-called “sunset clauses” comprising of concessions made by the ANC to the apartheid government and aiming to reassure South Africa’s white population are seen by some to have compromised the party’s beliefs.
Not everyone agrees that the Codesa talks were a bad idea.
A column on News24 in July by Gauta Komane argued that the talks were necessary and have been unfairly blamed for problems in SA.
The DA launched its 2019 elections campaign on Saturday at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown.
READ MORE: DA campaign launch bash sees Riky Rick, Distruction Boyz and more turn blue
Leader Mmusi Maimane said only the DA can solve South Africa’s land problems and pledged that his party would create job opportunities.
“We must make sure that we build our cities to create sustainable infrastructure and support small businesses to thrive. This is our agenda for change,” he said.
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