By-election results show DA continues to grow

Helen Zille, Leader of the Democratic Alliance
20 September 2012

The Democratic Alliance is pleased with an important by-election victory in Cape Town yesterday, where we won a ward off the ANC, as well as with our results in two other by-elections in Polokwane and Ekurhuleni, where we grew our share of the vote significantly.

The DA won a by-election in ward 88, City of Cape Town, which was previously held by the ANC, and includes areas of Mitchell’s Plain and Philippi. This is the first time the DA has won the ward, and it is the first time that the DA has won a ward in Philippi. The DA grew from 40.6% of the vote in last year’s local government election (2011) to 52.4% of the vote yesterday.

The result in Mitchell’s Plain and Philippi demonstrates both that voters are increasingly willing to change their vote, and that they were angry and alienated by the ANC Youth League’s “ungovernability” campaign in Cape Town; both factors resulting in growing support for the DA.

In ward 64, Ekurhuleni, the DA grew its share of the vote from 3.29% in the 2011 local government elections to 14.92% in yesterday’s by-election.

In ward 13, Polokwane, the DA grew its share of the vote from 4.93% in the 2011 local government elections to 17.31% in yesterday’s by-election.

These last two results are an important indication that more voters are choosing the DA in every community across the country. Increasingly, voters in previously strong ANC areas are feeling confident in the DA’s ability to represent the communities in which they live. As the ANC continues to its slow implosion around the country, the DA is steadily filling the void.

These victories show that democracy in South Africa is working and that voters are ready for change.