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

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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