DA alarm bells as PA breakthrough in Western Cape forces Steenhuisen to order party review
The DA has raised concerns about losing wards, especially to the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the Western Cape.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspaper
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has sounded a warning over his party’s gradual loss of wards in the Western Cape, conceding that the rise of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in a province governed by the DA demands urgent and honest introspection.
The alarm follows a bruising by-election outcome in George this week, where the PA won two wards previously held by opposition parties, including one taken directly from the DA.
The losses have sharpened concerns within the DA about voter drift in what has long been regarded as its strongest political fortress.
Steenhuisen reportedly said he would ask the DA’s executive to conduct a detailed review into the factors driving the PA’s growth in the province, particularly in rural and semi-urban municipalities.
“We have to ask why, in a province that we govern, people are voting for other parties,” Steenhuisen said.
“We were able to see off the PA in the Eastern Cape and in Gauteng, including in municipalities we govern. The question is why that is not translating consistently in the Western Cape.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen is concerned about the party's loss of support in key wards.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
The by-elections in the Garden Route town were triggered by the resignation of three DA councillors earlier this year, destabilising the party’s grip on the George council.
The outcome has left the DA with 25 of the council’s 55 seats, forcing it to rely on coalition partners, including the Freedom Front Plus and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), to retain control.
In Ward 17, PA candidate Raphael John Goeieman secured a decisive victory with 59.98% of the vote, overturning a DA-held seat where the party had won 39.86% in the 2021 local government elections.
Voter turnout stood at 54.07%.
In Ward 27, PA’s Elton Frederick Kleynhans claimed the seat with 51.35%, previously held by the Good Party, with turnout recorded at 55.08%.
Steenhuisen campaigned on the ground in George ahead of the vote in an effort to consolidate DA support, but acknowledged that the outcome fell short of expectations.
While he noted that the DA has so far managed to contain what he described as the PA’s “green wave” in Cape Town, he conceded that vulnerabilities are emerging elsewhere.
“There are municipalities where we govern in both the east and west of the province that are at risk, and we need to get to the bottom of it as a party,” he said.
Despite the setback, Steenhuisen reportedly played down the broader implications of the George result, arguing that by-elections are often influenced by local dynamics and should not be viewed as a definitive measure of national support.
He pointed to stronger DA performances in recent by-elections across other provinces as evidence that the party remains competitive.
The losses come at a sensitive time for Steenhuisen personally.
With just three months to go before the DA’s elective conference in April, he has signalled his intention to seek a third term as leader.
This is despite ongoing allegations related to the misuse of party credit cards — claims he denied.
Steenhuisen, who first assumed the leadership on an interim basis in 2019, said he remained proud of his tenure and believes he has strengthened the party’s electoral position.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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