Patriotic Alliance (PA) Cape Town mayoral candidate and Ward 51 councillor Cheslyn Steenberg.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media
Newly announced Patriotic Alliance (PA) Cape Town mayoral candidate and Ward 51 councillor Cheslyn Steenberg warned that divisions will not be tolerated as the party ramps up its campaign ahead of the local government elections.
Steenberg was speaking at a packed Pentecostal Protestant Church hall on Sunday where the PA unveiled candidates set to contest all 116 wards in the City.
He shared the stage with the party’s national chair, Marlon Daniels, and national youth leader Liam Jacobs, who is set to return to Parliament.
The PA currently holds five seats in the 231-member City of Cape Town council, including the Ward 51 seat won by Steenberg in a by-election in 2023.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Party leader Gayton McKenzie had initially appointed Jacobs as the PA’s Tshwane mayoral candidate before redeploying him to Johannesburg as a councillor in August. Jacobs, who defected from the DA while serving as an MP, was then moved to Cape Town in September and named the face of the party’s campaign in the city.
On Friday, Jacobs confirmed on social media that he would be heading back to Parliament to “protect the public purse for the people of South Africa”.
Steenberg on Sunday urged party activists to close ranks as campaigning intensifies.
“If you are plotting and planning to divide us, then rethink your home,” he said.
“We don’t have time for divisions. We must be a united PA to ensure that we make a meaningful dent in the city.
“As the mayoral candidate, I’m not going to entertain gossip. Please don’t call my phone to gossip.”
He also called for a respectful campaign.
“You cannot be a patriot if you don’t have respect. I’m asking and appealing that we respect each other and also respect the opposition.
“The DA has failed us time and time again, and they are going to do it again. We are fighting for a just city. We are fighting as the Patriotic Alliance for an inclusive city,” he said.
The PA currently holds five seats in the 231-member City of Cape Town council, including the Ward 51 seat won by Steenberg in a by-election in 2023.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Steenberg said the party would begin rolling out its campaign across all wards on Monday.
“We are launching the green tide in each and every ward because the PA is established everywhere in Cape Town,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jacobs pushed back against speculation about his political future.
“I want to turn to the media and tell them today that reports of my downfall have been greatly exaggerated,” he said.
Reflecting on his return to Parliament, Jacobs said the party was focused on growth rather than infighting.
“We have actual meaningful representation. It is uncompromised. It is genuine because it’s where the people choose you to lead them… in the PA we have consensus. We talk things through and I do not know a more South African way of solving issues than talking things through,” he said.
Cape Times