DA confident of outright victory in W Cape

DA leaders say the party's convincing wins in Wednesday's two by-elections show it is on course to win the Western Cape outright in next month's elections.

Victory in Mitchells Plain's Ward 79 signalled a massive shift from the ID to the DA among coloured voters in the city, DA chief executive Ryan Coetzee said on Thursday.

The seat became vacant when ID councillor Dennis Williams switched to the DA. Contesting the by-election under the DA banner, he won 79.38 percent of the vote. The ID came a distant second with 8 percent, followed by the ANC (6.91 percent) and Cope (2.6 percent). The IEC said voter turnout was 37.5 percent.

In Ward 2, which included Bellville and Parow, the DA's Leonora van der Walt won 96.34 percent of the vote, COPE and the ANC 2.2 percent and 1.3 percent respectively and voter turnout was 36.07 percent.

"The ID is set to go backwards in the province and therefore also across South Africa," Coetzee said.

DA leader Helen Zille said: "The Ward 79 result is an endorsement of the DA's commitment to non-racialism and to improving the circumstances of all through our governance in Cape Town. The result also indicates that the ID is haemorrhaging support in its former Cape Town strongholds."

ID provincial secretary Rodney Lentit blamed DA "spoil tactics" for his party's humiliation. Complaints were filed with the Independent Electoral Commission as well as the police after people in DA colours allegedly harassed and intimidated ID supporters, Lentit said.

"It is sign of their tactics in the run-up to the general elections. This was a by-election and the DA had councillors from other areas to go and convince people to go and vote. On April 22 the playing field will be levelled as everyone will focus on their area and have their own worries," Lentit said.

"The DA lied to people that the ID worked with the ANC. It's a contradiction because the ID is in a coalition with the DA and this will be the same after the elections. It is because of this coalition that Zille is now mayor."

ANC provincial secretary Sipho Kroma said very little could be read into Wednesday's results because of low voter turnout in areas the DA controlled.

COPE spokesperson Farouk Cassim said his party had support, but would have to work harder to make an impact next month.

The Human Sciences Research Council senior researcher on electoral politics, Mcebisi Ndletyana, said the DA's performance in the December by-elections had signalled it would gain ground as well as continue emerging victorious in election battles with the ID.

"What is emerging now is that the DA is consolidating its margins over the ID. The DA enjoys more visibility and has the power of incumbency," Ndletyana said.

"Its control of the city comes with many benefits. So far it has done well. It showed improvement in governing the city and there have not been scandals to discredit it. The power of incumbency is very useful. That is why Helen Zille did not go to Parliament. The DA has shown what it could do," Ndletyana said.

He said the ID faced an uphill battle to redeem itself after Wednesday's defeat.

"They can only capitalise on the failures of those in power. But in the absence of glaring weaknesses, that challenge is very much greater," Ndletyana said.