DA honours local politicians

DURING its Eastern Cape's provincial congress, the Democratic Alliance honoured the following local politicians:
Eastern Cape parliamentarian of the year is Elza van Lingen. She was honoured for her commitment to the DA and structures of the party. She served as:
– DA caucus leader in NCOP since October 2011;
– DA federal executive since October 2011;
– DA finance committee since 2009;
– DA federal council 2009;
Within the province Van Lingen was:
– DA Eastern Cape provincial councillor;
– DA Eastern Cape finance chairman since 2009;
– DA Eastern Cape provincial executive since 2009;
Within the constituency Van Lingen was:
– Tsitsi-Karoo constituency chairman 2007-2009;
– Tsitsi-Karoo leader since 2009;
The Tsitsi-Karoo constituency comprises of the municipalities of Baviaans, Koukamma and Kouga. Van Lingen has been the main driving force in taking her constituency to unheard of levels of growth. In last year's municipal elections, while Baviaans still remained the only DA controlled municipality in the Eastern Cape, both Kouga and Koukamma narrowly lost a closely contested election.
The best performing ward councillor in the Eastern Cape is Freddie Kamfer.
His ward four is situated in Kruisfontein, Humansdorp and is the largest ward in Kouga. It had always been an ANC stronghold until the 2011 elections where through hard work and dedication Kamfer, with the assistance of a strong team of activists, won the seat.
The best DA branch in the Eastern Cape is Ward 8 – Wavecrest, Jeffreys Bay. Under the guidance of councillor David Aldendorff Ward 8 resulted from a decision by the demarcation board to split the previous ward three into two separate wards. The honour is a result of their efforts to identify the new voters, and ensure they were not only registered to vote, but that they did so on election day where some 81% of the voters turned up and the DA received 92% of all votes cast.
The star performer of the year in the EC is Heneke Swanepoel.
This award is in recognition of her hard work and dedication in assisting the DA win their first ever ward in Koukamma.