The Democratic Alliance's campaign to keep the African National Congress out of the Western Cape seems to have worked.
The DA looked set for a decisive victory in the province, analysts said early on Wednesday as the results for the local government election started streaming in after several technical hitches.
Idasa's Sean Jacobs said the results, especially the fact that the DA had taken some ANC towns, confirmed the trend of increased support for the alliance, which had successfully tapped into disillusionment with the ANC national government during the election campaign.
Results for outlying towns in the Western Cape were characterised by a low turnout in ANC strongholds and a 50 percent or more turnout among DA supporters.
| With one seat, the PAC is kingmaker in Ladismith |
In Ladismith, for example, the vote was split between the DA and the ANC. With one seat, the Pan African Congress is kingmaker in this Karoo town.
The DA took greater Hermanus with 12 seats against the ANC's five.
While Vredendal went to the ANC by one seat, Swellendam was an equal split between the two parties, who each have five seats.
The DA also took Prince Albert with five seats, compared to the ANC's two. It also won Laingsburg with four seats to the ANC's one.
The ANC held on to Plettenberg Bay, Oudtshoorn and the Groot Karoo district council, but lost Worcester to the DA.
Western Cape Premier Gerald Morkel said: "We have really turned it around. The DA's success is based on the fact that it has a track record of delivery."
The ANC's Cameron Dugmore said that the lack of protection of minority parties in this election had hurt the ANC.
But the party was pleased with the inroads it had made in some areas like the Overberg and the Groot Karoo.
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