DA on track to win in Western Cape with smaller majority as PA erodes support base

• The DA is expected to maintain control of the Western Cape, although its majority may be slightly reduced.
• The Patriotic Union (PA) is seeing a surge in support.
• Track the latest results on our election map.
• Find out everything you need to know about the 2024 general election in News24's election hub.

“We didn't chase every barking dog.”

The party says that was the secret to the DA Western Cape's success in this general election. Tertius Symers, a local leader This is because some political parties are trying to take away the support of his party.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA), Rise Mzansi and the local Cape Coloured Congress were small parties trying to take votes away from the DA, with DA leader John Steenhausen calling them “political mercenaries”.

But by Thursday morning it was clear the DA was leading in its stronghold state.

He received 446,712 votes, or 52 percent of the vote, by Thursday night.

Simmers said he was successful because he ran an intensive campaign and “didn't pursue it.” All the dogs barked at us, and there were quite a few of them.”

“But, as you know, [we gave] “This is a proposal to the voters of the Western Cape and it is reasonable and realistic. We are a governing party and we can present policies that we can expand upon when we return to power. And we intend to return to power,” Simmers said.

Read | Mass Palestinian Authority rallies across the Western Cape revealed the DA's fears of losing key votes of people of colour.

Simmers said their message and track record of good governance got through to voters.

“We negotiated with them on an equal footing because many of the opposition parties that were united against the DA [the DA] Their enemies are [but] “Our track record in this state and at the national level speaks volumes that we are a party that stands up for all people,” he said.

Moreover, he said, district attorneys are not speaking “fantasies” to voters.

“If you compare it to what we've done in the last 15 years of administration, we've shown that we can present alternative government solutions, alternative policy implementation solutions, and we can make a difference in people's lives,” he said.

Simmers said their messages about innovation, energy, jobs and fighting for the devolution of police and rail functions had been well received.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority The DA has made great strides in supporting communities of color. And in the Western Cape they proved to be a formidable opponent.

By 9 p.m. Thursday, the party was already the third-largest in the state. 81,695 votes (9.57%).

Nationwide, he received 3.46% of the vote (150,588 votes), the fifth highest number of votes.

Despite being established 10 years ago, the Palestinian Authority has remained on the fringes of South African politics until the 2021 local elections.

Still, his national approval rating was below 1%.

The party's strongest showing was in the Western Cape province in this election, where it received 2.36% of the vote.

In the last national and provincial elections in 2019, the Palestinian Authority received just 652 votes in the Western Cape, a mere 0.03% of the vote.

Cape Metro PA general secretary Cheslyn Steenberg said the leadership of party president Gayton McKenzie had been crucial to the party's growth.

“He's someone who understands the language people speak.

“But I'm more [the party has attracted support because of] “The manifesto that we have put forward, the Abakhambe Movement, talks about illegal aliens and what we are going to do, with a particular focus on boosting jobs and businesses,” Steenberg said.

Read | “We're not living in a fantasy castle,” Gill says of the DA's prospects of polling 51% nationwide.

He added that the Palestinian Authority's stance on crime and the reintroduction of the death penalty resonated with many South Africans.

Earlier this month, the PA won two constituencies in the province, one from the DA and one from the ANC.

In Oudtsholen, the PA won the constituency with 1,279 votes (65.4%). In the other constituency in the Swartland municipality, the PA won with 853 votes (40.18%).

Another small party that caused problems for the DA in the Western Cape was the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC).

The party, described as a coloured nationalist party, was ranked in the top five parties in the Western Cape on Thursday night.

The constituency overtook veteran parties such as the Freedom Front Plus and the Western Cape Democratic Party, which hold seats in the National Assembly and the Western Cape provincial legislature.

CCC leader Fadiel Adams said he was not paying attention to what other parties were saying.

“We used to be a Facebook page. We just keep doing what we love. Look, I look at the board here. [McKenzie’s] The party is worth millions of dollars [of rand] “We had R20,000. Our campaign is direct, our campaign is in our day to day work. We didn't come here three months before the election,” Adams said.

He said the CCC has been working in the community for the past three years.

ANC provincial spokesman Khalid Said said the party faces some challenges but also has some positives.

“We will definitely get a much higher percentage of the vote than we got in 2019, I'm confident of that,” he said.