DA targets regaining voter support
DA LEADER John Steenhuisen says although the party is open to coalition governance its top priority is to regain the voter support it lost in 2019.
The opposition party yesterday announced its mayoral candidates for the country’s metros ahead of the local government elections, which are scheduled for October 27.
The DA has chosen to play its cards safe in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) by retaining Nqaba Bhanga as its mayoral candidate.
It has done the same in Tshwane with Randall Williams.
Both Williams and Bhanga serve as mayors of their respective cities.
The two metros have been governed by the DA through coalitions.
The party made some gains in the local government elections in 2016 and governed in Joburg, Tshwane and NMB through coalition arrangements.
But the tide soon turned in NMB, and the party was pushed off the governing seat following a coalition agreement between smaller political parties and the ANC.
But the coalition between the ANC and minority parties soon collapsed, which resulted in the DA returning to power in December last year.
In Ekurhuleni, the DA announced that its member of the Gauteng provincial legislature, Refiloe Ntsheke, would stand as its mayoral candidate, while MP Geordin Hill-Lewis has been touted as its mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town.
In the City of Joburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse has been named as the party’s mayoral candidate. She previously served as MMC for health and social development under former executive mayor Herman Mashaba.
According to Steenhuisen, the candidates were the best selections for the postitions and would be hard at work campaigning over the next two months.
He maintained that the upcoming municipal polls were crucial because of the poor state of governance in many ANC-run municipalities.
He pleaded with voters to look beyond race and culture when they went to the voting booths, and pick a party that would deliver services.
All the mayoral candidates voiced similar sentiments in their acceptance speeches, saying that if elected, they would prioritise providing roads, electricity and water to many people.
On coalition governance, Steenhuisen admitted that the party had faced great challenges since 2016 as it attempted to navigate working with other parties in an attempt to govern.
He highlighted that the party was open to partnering with other parties, but those parties had to share the DA’s values, as compromising on its values often soured voters’ support for the party.
The instability of coalition governance, he said, was evident in Joburg and NMB.
“The last five years were a coalition school and we have learnt hard lessons. We are willing to work with any party in South Africa as long as they share the principles of the party.”