De Lille forgives DA 'fools'
2004-04-15 18:41
Pretoria - Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said on Thursday she forgave the Democratic Alliance for their attack on her, as it played to her advantage.
"I forgive those fools, and they are fools, for they know not what they are doing," she said while visiting the election results centre in Pretoria. She said that in their "anxiety to attack me they actually promoted me."
De Lille said she was very happy with the way the polls were going.
"I am not sure of how I must feel," she said after surveying the results boards again. But she said she was not really surprised by what she saw, explaining that even before the election she knew she had a support base of 62 000.
The ID had surprised many with their results.
"I think it's that I fear no one and the fact that I am not afraid of an African National Congress majority, that has attracted voters to my party," she said.
But she admitted that in the period after the elections the ID would have to consolidate its gains. She said the ID realised they would have to cultivate more rural support.
Observers and opposition parties alike have expressed concerns that the ID was a "fly by night" party that might not be here to contest the next election.
De Lille rejected such concerns, saying what made her party different from others was consistency.
"For me there is only one truth. Not a minority or majority truth as expressed by other parties," she said.
The ID's councillor for the West Rand, Henry Peterson, greeted De Lille with a hug as she walked out of the results centre on Thursday afternoon.
"I just wanted to congratulate our leader who is doing so well," he said emotionally.
- SAPA