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DA, ANC Western Cape low support self-inflicted: Analyst

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The Democratic Alliance spat with Patricia De Lille and the controversy over African National Congress’s candidate list are cited as some reasons the country’s two major parties are bleeding support in the Western Cape.

Political analyst, Asanda Ngoasheng, says the parties should be worried by the declining support.

Provisional elections results show that the DA got over 55% of the vote compared to 59 in the 2014.

The ANC is at 29% compared to 32% in 2014. Ngoasheng says a number of factors may have led to the decrease.

“We also saw a lot of strife and power struggle between former mayor of the City of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, and various members of the DA in the City of Cape Town over and above that we also have a water crisis, and a whole lot about ANC putting down members who had cloud hanging over themselves on the national list,” says Ngoasheng.

The DA tussle with De Lille took two years and was previously flagged as a potential vote drainer for the country’s official opposition party.

DA Federal Chairperson, Athol Trollip, has said the party has learnt from the episode and plan to handle such matters better in the future.

ANC provincial secretary, Faiez Jacobs, has blamed poor voter turnout for the party’s continued vote decline in the Western Cape.

66% of registered voters made their mark on Wednesday, which is at least 6% down on the 2014 provincial election.

Bad weather was among issues suspected to have been the reason for this.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has rejected claims that it will show Mmusi Maimane the door.
There’s been speculation that the DA would ask its leader to step down as he has failed to increase support for the party.

When the IEC captured 84 percent of the votes, nationally the DA was standing at 22%, behind the ANC at 57%.

The DA says it’s fully behind Maimane.

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