AMBASSADOR GIPS MEETS WITH ATHOL TROLLIP,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAPE TOWN 000039 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2020 TAGS: KDEM PREL SF SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR GIPS MEETS WITH ATHOL TROLLIP, PARLIAMENTARY LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE Classified By: Consul General Alberta Mayberry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. On February 12, Ambassador Gips met with Athol Trollip, Parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA),the main opposition party in Parliament, to discuss USG programs and cooperation. Also in attendance were Political Counselor, Cape Town CG, and Cape Town Poloff. Trollip described the U.S. as the most important country in the world, but noted that China is rapidly becoming another super power. He also noted that he would like to improve relations between the USG and the DA, which is also the ruling party in the Western Cape Province. Trollip also discussed the ANC, Zuma, and the recent State of the Nation address as well as the DA,s plan to win two more municipalities in next year,s election. Throughout the course of the meeting, Trollip stressed the desire for the DA to meet with its U.S. counterparts as well as with U.S. companies, which Ambassador Gips was happy to help facilitate. End summary. ¶2. (C ) On February 12, Ambassador Gips met with Athol Trollip, Parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance to discuss USG programs and cooperation. Trollip began the meeting by saying the U.S is the most important country in the world, although he noted that China is rapidly becoming the other world super power. Trollip noted his concern that the USG and the GOC both have good relations with the SAG, but noted that neither had good relations with the Western Cape leadership. He said he looks forward to building those relations and wants to have a formal engagement with the USG. He noted his dissatisfaction with the Chinese who work with the ANC on a party-to-party basis, not through the government. He asked Ambassador Gips how the DA can work more closely with the USG, specifically mentioning that the DA would benefit from training and exchanges with U.S. legislators, noting that he personally would like to meet with someone from the Democratic Party. ¶3. (C) Trollip noted that the DA is a party for all people and said there is no other party with as much ethnic diversity in its caucus as the DA. In the April 09 election, Trollip said &COPE (the second largest opposition party) took the 6.5 percent of the vote that the DA was expecting to receive due to racial identity problems.8 ( Comment. COPE is a breakaway party from the ANC and has a largely black membership, whereas the DA,s electoral base is mostly from the white and mixed race communities. End comment.) He argued that Africans often feel obliged to vote for the ANC because of the ANC,s role in the liberation movement. ¶4. (C ) Trollip noted his dissatisfaction that President Zuma refuses to reign in the head of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema. Trollip said he likes both Ministers in the Presidency, Trevor Manuel and Collins Chabane, and thinks their new Planning Commission and Monitoring and Evaluation portfolios are a good idea, and hopes that the Ministers will be able to roll out their plans soon. Trollip also hopes Chabane,s plan will work and that Zuma will back him. Trollip also said that he believes Manuel, who is the best mind in the ANC, is not happy in the party and noted that the current leader of the DA, Helen Zille, would give Manuel the DA party leadership if Manuel were to jump ship. ¶5. (C) Trollip also said, &if Zuma is dumb enough not to realize that his State of the Nation Address said nothing, either the ANC is setting him up or he has poor advisors.8 Qeither the ANC is setting him up or he has poor advisors.8 Trollip also said that he spoke to Kader Asmal (a former ANC Minister under Mandela) after the State of the Nation Address, and Asmal said the mood in Parliament was very subdued and noted this was the first time in fifteen years that the gallery did not erupt into singing or dancing upon the entrance of the President. Trollip also said that he met with Reverend Dandala, the leader of COPE, after Zuma presented the State of the Nation address and that COPE intended to present a Motion of No Confidence against Zuma due to his personal behavior, focusing on the fact that Zuma recently fathered another illegitimate child. Trollip noted that Dandala approached the DA to support the Motion and that the DA agreed, noting that if the DA had brought the Motion, it would be considered racist. ¶6. (U) Trollip told Emboffs that the DA will not attack the President directly and will not mention the recent scandals in his personal life, but will attack him on the basis of what was included (or more appropriately not included) in the State of the Nation address. Trollip noted that because the DA only has 17 percent of the seats in Parliament, it needs to be focused all the time. The DA wants to focus on opportunity issues such as pot holes and faulty traffic lights*issues that can be more readily solved. ¶7. (SBU) Trollip said that the DA hopes to win two more metropolitan areas in the upcoming local elections, Port Elizabeth and Tshwane (which includes Pretoria). He thought such a goal was achievable, particularly if the DA worked CAPE TOWN 00000039 002 OF 002 with COPE to put together coalitions. He noted that the worst run municipality in the Eastern Cape is the one with the largest ANC majority. He believes the DA will continue to do well in the Western Cape. ¶8. (U) Trollip described the DA,s young leadership program which gives two groups of 20 young people a full year of classes. He said that he would like to talk to someone in the Democratic Party about what they do to train their young democrats. Trollip noted that he participated in two National Council of State Legislator programs in the U.S. and greatly benefitted from them. Trollip said that the DA,s senior party caucus wants to go to the U.S to meet with senior U.S. leaders and U.S. businesses that are interested in investing in South Africa, but noted that the DA cannot afford to pay for the trip on their own and is seeking funding from outside sources. He also noted that he would like to meet with American Chamber of Commerce representatives in South Africa and the US-SA Business Council, which is managed by Corporate Council on Africa. Furthermore, he said that is happy to meet visiting Congressional delegations to South Africa. He also noted that, &it is fundamentally important for President Obama to succeed.8 MAYBERRY