ELECTIONS NEWS - The DA says it has achieved a historic breakthrough among black voters, claiming internal projections show that more than one million black South Africans backed the party for the first time.

Speaking to the media on Thursday at the Results Operations Centre at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand after Wednesday’s local government elections, DA Federal Council first deputy chairperson Ashor Sarupen said the party’s parallel vote tabulation system pointed to its strongest black voter support in history.

Black support

Sarupen said the DA has attracted more black support than the EFF in what could signal a major shift in South Africa’s political landscape.

“For the first time in our history, more than one million black South Africans voted for the DA,” Sarupen claimed.

In one of the boldest claims made by any political party since voting concluded, Sarupen said the DA’s projections suggest it has won more support from black voters than the EFF.

“The projections also indicate that the DA will have received more votes from black South Africans in this election than the EFF, making us a mainstream party in every community, whether you are black, white, coloured or Indian,” he said.

Projections

While cautioning that the figures remain projections pending final certification by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), Sarupen argued that the significance of the results extends far beyond electoral arithmetic.

“For too long, South African politics has been defined by the assumption that the colour of your skin determines who you vote for,” he said.

“The DA has always believed that South Africa can be different, and that we can build a party for all that works for all and delivers for all.”

According to Sarupen, the early results suggest that message is resonating in communities that have historically been beyond the DA’s reach.

“These early results suggest that this vision is finding support in more communities than ever before,” he said.

Townships

He said the party’s data indicates growing support in townships and traditionally ANC-dominated communities across the country.

The DA is forecasting support of about 15% in Gauteng townships, around 10% in Cape Town townships and significant gains in township and rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

“We believe that we will be picking up wards off the MK in uMngeni, amongst other places,” said Sarupen.

Campaign

The DA’s campaign, he said, was built around a simple promise: functional government, reliable service delivery and economic opportunity.

“We went into this election with a very clear offer, that we want to make sure every single town and city works for everyone who lives in it, that we want to bring South Africans together, and we want to focus on getting the basics right.”

Sarupen said voters appeared increasingly willing to move away from long-standing political loyalties and punish parties that fail to deliver.

DA vs ANC

Asked whether voters were embracing the DA’s vision or merely abandoning the ANC after years of decline in service delivery, water shortages, electricity failures and collapsing infrastructure, he said the answer ultimately lay at the ballot box.

“All South Africans have the ability to hold their political parties accountable. It’s the vote. If parties don’t deliver on their promises, you vote them out,” he said.

In a sharp assessment of the governing party’s standing among voters, Sarupen added: “Right now South Africans are choosing to tell the party they voted for over the last 30 years that they aren’t even getting a trick-pass mark.”

Track record

The DA believes one of its strongest selling points has been its governing track record in municipalities under its control.

Sarupen pointed to the DA-led uMngeni Municipality as an example of what the party believes can be achieved through effective governance.

“Five years ago it was completely in a state of disarray, heavily indebted and really hungry for service delivery,” he said.

“The voters trusted us and in five years the turnaround has been remarkable. The services are stable, things work, and that is the kind of track record we put forward to voters.”

For Sarupen, however, the biggest story emerging from the election is not simply the DA’s electoral performance but what it says about the future of South African politics.

Race-based politics

He argued that voters are increasingly rejecting race-based political appeals in favour of competence, accountability and service delivery.

“The old racial boundaries of our politics have lost their hold,” he said.

“South Africa is not simply an aspirational idea of a country for all, but it’s something that South Africans are choosing to build together.”

He added that the results could mark the beginning of a new political era in which voters are defined less by race and more by the quality of governance they expect from political parties.

“The future of politics is no longer determined by the divisions of our past.”

Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen

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