Musician and TV host Jonathan Rubain has joined the Patriotic Alliance as one of its leaders in the Cape.
Rubain, 35, joined the party in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where PA president Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene inducted their newest member with a green party T-shirt.
McKenzie told Rubain that the people of the PA “are God’s people” and would protect him from detractors in the coloured community: “We will protect him as he will come under attack of his own.”
Gayton also promised the bass guitarist lots of gigs and that he would have “more music jobs than ever before”.
In a video, Gayton tells Rubain: “You are going to lose contracts and deals and pastors will stop booking you because they are afraid of the ANC, but we are going to stand by you.”
The Koortjies met Jonathan Rubain host and some friends were flown to Joburg by the controversial businessman.
“I joined the Patriotic Alliance publicly on Tuesday night at the thanksgiving service held at Mount Carmel Ministries, Eldorado Park,” said Rubain.
“I joined them because they have godly principles which are amazing for me.
“They are a party that wants to push a boy from Hanover Park, Lavender Hill, Tafelsig or the girl from Valhalla Park; for the coloured child to rise up.
“With every show I do, I spend the first 20 minutes to talk about our people.
“We are proud to be brown and Afrikaans. I’m going to rally with them and support them.”
Rubain, a father of three, says he won't perform political duties just yet as he still wants to work on his music.
He adds: “But if the people push me and say they need me, there I will go.
“I want to fight for artists as well as sports. I still play cricket for Hanover Park Cricket Club and there is sports infrastructure that needs attention.”
Rubain will join the PA’s Cape Metro leader Chinelle Stevens in recruiting new members and raising their profile in Cape Town.
“We cannot wait to shift the narrative in Cape Town. Our mandate is strictly to uplift our communities which the DA has failed to do,” said Stevens.
Rubain is not the first high-profile Cape Flats artist to join a political party.
In March 2019, musician Alistair Izobell retired from showbiz to join Patricia de Lille’s GOOD Party.
He was on the party’s candidate list for the provincial legislature, but GOOD didn’t fare well at the polls and he failed to secure a seat.
venecia.america@inl.co.za