The Democratic Alliance won landslide victories in two by-elections held in Cape Town on Wednesday, a sign, the party says, that it is on track to win the Western Cape in the national election on April 22.
”If all our voters turn out on election day, we could win the province with an outright majority,” DA leader Helen Zille said on Thursday.
The result of ward 79 in the mainly coloured area of Mitchells Plain, where the DA captured the seat previously held by the Independent Democrats (ID), is particularly significant, she said.
The DA polled 79,4% — up from 37,8% in 2006 — while the ID polled 8% — down from 38,7% in 2006.
”The resounding victory in Mitchells Plain is an endorsement of the DA’s commitment to non-racialism and to improving the circumstances of all through our governance in Cape Town,” Zille said.
”The Mitchells Plain by-election result also indicates that the ID is haemorrhaging support in its former Cape Town strongholds. Opposition voters are consolidating their forces within the DA.”
In ward two in Parow, the DA won 96,5% of the vote — an increase from 83,1% in 2006. The ANC and the Congress of the People (Cope) received 1,3% and 2,2% of the vote respectively.
”The DA is retaining the support of long-standing DA voters and, contrary to the perception of some analysts, Cope is not a factor in the Western Cape,” Zille said.
This sentiment was echoed by DA chief executive Ryan Coetzee, who said: ”Cope did disastrously in both Mitchells Plain and Parow and is not a factor in the city of Cape Town. It cannot hope to come more than a distant third in the Western Cape.”
The ID, he said, was ”set to go backwards” in the province and the rest of the country and lose its relevance.
The DA said its two by-election wins in Kempton Park on Wednesday confirmed that the national race on April 22 would be a contest between itself and the ANC, as Cope was making little impact.
”It is clear that there are two major political forces in South Africa, the ANC and the DA.”
The head of the Cope’s policy research unit, Farouk Cassiem, said the party would have to embark on a new strategy before the elections in April.
”With a little more organisation it will be relatively easy for Cope to overtake the ANC in most parts of the Western Cape,” Cassiem said.
”The DA however, will pose a relatively steeper challenge especially in the predominantly white areas.
”It is regrettable that Cope’s appeal to the white community to support Cope to build a truly non-racial South Africa is still going unheeded.
”However, the fact that coloured support for the DA within the metro is strong will help to achieve a non-racial outcome through a reverse process.”
Cassiem said the results of the by-elections indicated that Cope had enough support to establish a viable branch in every voting district.
”Each branch will have to canvass 500 members within the voting district. That is the target that Cope will have to be set and monitor to see whether it is being attained.
”As the DA has about four out of 10 supporters in these wards Cope should attempt to influence an equal number.”
ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the results of other by-elections held on Wednesday confirmed the strength of ANC support in areas that it won in the 2006 local government elections.
”The ANC retained all of the seats it held in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng and Limpopo,” Duarte said.
”These results underline the point that the ANC remains the only party with firm support across the country.” – Sapa