DA holds on to W Cape despite challenges

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has again managed to hold on to the Western Cape province despite having faced publicity blunders during their dispute with former Mayor Patricia de Lille and strong challenges from the rejuvenated ANC and the Freedom Front Plus. The party scooped the only province that has been eluding the ruling party with a comfortable 55.58% majority.

It is official!

We have retained the Western Cape. Congratulations to Premier-elect @alanwinde.#election2019results pic.twitter.com/nE02kgvh6G

— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) May 10, 2019

Although it lost almost 4% of its previous votes, the DA will still run the Western Cape without a coalition partner. It is down from its 59.38% in 2014, to 55.58% in 2019. Analysts believe its strategies over the years were correctly targeted to the province’s marginalized voters.

‘What makes the DA do well in the Western Cape is that, historically, Tony Leon tilted the DA to the right to capture the Afrikaners from the then National Party.”

However, the party leader in the province, Bonginkosi Madikizela, pins their success to hard work and a strong record of service delivery.

Political Analyst, Keith Gotchalk, believes the DA lost voters to the FF+ and GOOD Party.

“It would seem the DA has lost voters to the FF+, which took a strong stance on the issues of expropriation without compensation and affirmative action.”

Ironically, the FF+ used the same slogan, fight back, which the DA used to capture the province from the ANC in 2004. Whether this same slogan will be sustainable up to the local government election in 2021, time will tell.