DA TO SUPPORT JOBURG PRIDE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has shown its support for the South African LGBT community by booking a stall at this year’s Joburg Pride Day on October 3rd. DA pamphlets will be distributed and people will have the chance to sign up as party members throughout the afternoon.

“Joburg Pride is a community event that brings together people from different communities and backgrounds in celebration and affirmation of diversity, which is enshrined in the Constitution and cherished by the DA. This fully includes sexual diversity and the DA’s presence at Joburg Pride is a visible demonstration of that commitment,” Joburg Pride Co-Chair and DA Youth office bearer Zak Mbhele told Mambaonline.

“Joburg Pride is an ideal opportunity for the DA to engage with LGBT South Africans on their terms, their issues and in their space,” he said. Mbhele added that a special pamphlet will be distributed at Pride that explains how the DA’s Open Opportunity Society is favourable for LGBT people, both as a sexual minority and as general citizens.

Speaking as Joburg Pride Co-Chair Mbhele noted that, “Other political parties are more than welcome to have a stall at Joburg Pride as well and an invitation has been extended to the Congress of the People (COPE) to have a stall at Joburg Pride. It is noteworthy to mention that COPE in fact did have a table at Cape Town Pride and they are to be commended for that.”

According to openly gay DA MP, Ian Ollis, the Democratic Alliance has the highest number of gay parliamentary candidates of any party in the country.