South Africa’s elections this week should provide a great opportunity for the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and its leader John Steenhuisen, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela’s party in power for the past 30 years, showed little success. South African unemployment is among the highest in the world, the economy has barely grown and infrastructure is crumbling.
The DA, the country’s second largest party, enjoys greater popularity in the Western Cape. According to pre-election polls, the party received about a fifth of the vote in the last general election in 2019. Despite campaign missteps and the DA’s attempts to broaden its support, Steenhuisen could still secure a parliamentary majority.
Some recent polls show that support for the ANC is as low as 40 per cent. Such a rate could make it difficult to form a coalition with smaller parties.
Despite Steenhuisen’s promise to dismiss the ANC, he still has not ruled out a post-election deal if it does not allow Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) into government. The EFF reportedly plans to nationalise industry and confiscate land owned by whites.
I’m not ruling out anything depending on what the election results are going forward.
The pro-business DA has long struggled to shed its image as the party of South Africa‘s privileged white minority. Steenhuisen, 48, who is white, became the party’s leader in 2019 after his black predecessor Mmusi Maimane had resigned, accusing some party members of undermining his efforts to attract black voters.
I don’t want people to vote for the DA if they think that we’re here to protect and entrench white privilege. Our policies are the best mechanism to deliver people from living a life of abject poverty amidst failing services.
A March opinion poll conducted by the Brenthurst Foundation and the SABI Strategy Group reveals that many South Africans do believe in the DA’s ability to govern.
Doomsday coalition
DA-run Western Cape and its capital Cape Town was seen as a province and a major city with better governance. 37% of respondents had a favourable view of the party. However, support for Steenhuisen itself stands at only 19 per cent. Under him, the DA redoubled its efforts to pursue economically liberal policies that may struggle to win favour among poor black South Africans.
Among the party’s electoral blunders was the image of a burning South African flag. The image was meant to symbolise the risks if the ANC enters a coalition with left-wing parties. However, the move provoked an immediate negative reaction. President Cyril Ramaphosa called the advert “treasonous” and the national broadcaster SABC refused to broadcast it.
Nevertheless, the DA is expected to maintain its position among the major parties. Steenhuisen, meanwhile, appears to be guarded as a political force seeking to fend off the ANC’s alliance with the EFF or MK, what he called “a doomsday coalition.”
We will do whatever we can to prevent that.
