At the Hillsong Church in Century City, Cape Town, on Workers’ Day, more than 1,000 Democratic Alliance supporters gathered for the Western Cape metro region’s final election rally to hear members of the provincial leadership and the party leader tell them to keep the Western Cape blue.

Read in Daily Maverick: DA punts control of rail and policing in Western Cape as party launches provincial manifesto

First was Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, who told the crowd “hou die EFF en ANC uit” — keep the EFF and the ANC out. Zille, who is about to finish her 10th and final year as premier of the province, has led the party to 2009 and 2014 election victories in the Western Cape.

In the 2014 national and provincial elections the DA won 59% of the provincial vote and extended its governance after gaining the province in 2009 from the ANC.

The DA is the “only party that has a premier candidate that leads from the front,” said Zille about her successor, Alan Winde, if the DA is successful in for the third consecutive provincial and national elections. Switching between Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa, Zille emphasised the province’s record of clean audits and good governance — so the audience needed to make sure they kept the province blue.

“Winde is deur en deur blou, potblou” (Winde is blue, very blue). Zille said.

As she ended what will be one of her final acts as premier before the elections, Zille led the crowd with a chant, “Hou die Wes-Kaap blou” (keep the Western Cape blue).

Zille was not the only high-ranking DA official at Wednesday’s rally. Spotted at the Hillsong Church was metro chair Grant Twigg, mayco member JP Smith, various provincial MECs, Western Cape DA Youth chair Carl Popham, provincial legislature speaker Sharna Fernandez and John Steenhuisen, the party’s Parliamentary Chief Whip.

The party’s provincial leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela, switched focus to Workers’ Day. He said the party was “working hard to ensure that those that are not working will be able to find a job”.

Also switching between the province’s three official languages, Madikizela spoke of Zille, who he said laid a solid foundation for the party in the past 10 years, and how voters need to keep the ANC and the EFF out of the province.

“I know that after 8 of May Alan Winde will be premier,” said Madikizela, who added:

“I don’t think there is anybody here that will allow the Bosasa thieves and the VBS thieves to form a coalition in this province.”

When it was Winde’s turn to speak, the crowd greeted him with much applause as he spoke about the DA’s punting of rail and policing control for the province.

“I will fight to create jobs in the Western Cape for the people of the Western Cape.

“I will fight for a provincial police service run by the people of the Western Cape, for the people of the Western Cape. I will fight for a provincial train service run by the people of the Western Cape, for the people of the Western Cape,” said Winde.

“The DA needs all the votes we can get to make sure that we keep the ANC and the EFF out of power. On 8 May we need every voter to unite behind the DA,” said Winde, the province’s MEC for Community Safety.

As Winde left the stage, the crowd welcomed DA leader Mmusi Maimane, the final speaker. The moment Maimane reached the stage and grabbed the microphone to speak, someone in the crowd shouted “preach pastor” — a reference to his religious role.

“Next week Wednesday is D-Day, DA-Day,” said Maimane, as the crowd shouted for him.

The party leader referred to Workers’ Day, saying:

“We think of all those workers day and night who made this province a success.” He reiterated that the party had promised in this election cycle “one job in every house”.

Maimane called out corruption in the ANC and highlighted the DA’s push for policing and rail to be a provincial mandate — “we must make sure a provincial rail system gets in here”.

Closing the day’s proceedings, Maimane urged the crowd to vote for the DA.

“I will give my life to a DA that will run this country.” DM