Cape Town - While the DA hopes to retain the Western Cape in the coming elections, the party is showing concern over a shift in its support base.
It launched its provincial election plan of action on Saturday at the Bellville Velodrome, bringing out its top leaders, including Mmusi Maimane, in a show of support for premier candidate Alan Winde.
Maimane told supporters the May 8 election was going to be “incredibly competitive”.
“There will be political parties - some brand new - that will campaign on the idea that if you are black you must vote for this party and if you are white you must vote for this party,” he said, while Winde called on the party supporters to join him in the “fight for an even better Western Cape”.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said it wouldn’t be a walk-over for the DA in the province, even though it prided itself on substantive achievements.
“No one can fault them on some of their achievements - in good governance, running a clean city and growing the economy.
“But they have failed in addressing poverty, handling certain ethical and moral issues within the party - these will haunt them.
“The issue of former member and leader Patricia de Lille is one such example.
“Someone who was an insider is now their enemy; they should be worried and panicking,” he said.
Mathekga said voters would also question the party’s position on race and empowerment, affirmative action and its policies on redressing the past.
“These are issues that matter. So while speaking about what it has done, these matters will come under scrutiny,” said Mathekga.
But at the manifesto launch, DA leaders launched scathing attacks on the ANC, describing it as a corrupt party while calling for devolution of certain powers to the province. Maimane described the Western Cape as the best run province in the country - a province that “is DA-blue” and corruption-free.
“As leader of the DA, I am immensely proud to stand before this diverse, beautiful bunch of South Africans, to see the power of diversity and the power of what happens when we come together around shared values and build our towns, cities, provinces, and our nation,” he said.
Maimane said it was only under a DA government that the dream of former president Nelson Mandela to build a South Africa for all was being realised.
“The truth is our post-liberation era of governance for all is modelled here in this very province. While they talk, we do,” he told his supporters.
His praise for the province was echoed by Winde, who pledged to build on what had been achieved under the leadership of outgoing premier Helen Zille.
“As your premier I will fight for a province governed by the people of the Western Cape, not the politicians in Luthuli House.
“I will fight to devolve police powers and resources to the provincial government to establish a provincial police service we will also fight for our own provincial rail service under a DA government,” Winde said.
He pledged to work towards securing energy independence for the province as Eskom’s load shedding and power cuts were crippling economic progress.
On housing, Winde said the party would work harder to speed up delivery despite its progress and would introduce schemes to help people build or buy their own homes.
Zille used the event to bid farewell and even broke out in song, singing Time to Say Goodbye.
She urged supporters to continue voting for the DA.
“Everyone is asking what can we do about corruption, well I say there’s only one party that you can vote for that can end corruption,” Zille said.