ANC rocked in Western Cape
2006-03-02 23:04
Theuns van der Westhuizen and Willem Jordaan
Cape Town - African National Congress domination in local government in the Western Cape has received a serious blow in the municipal elections.
By late on Thursday, it was clear the ANC had not only lost the position of power it had got by New National Party floor-crossers in the Cape Town city council, but had also received a huge setback in rural areas.
The ANC was in charge of 25 of the 30 municipalities in the Western Cape when it went to the polls on Wednesday morning.
By Thursday afternoon, the party had obtained absolute majorities in only two of them.
The Democratic Alliance predicted on Thursday that it would not equal the 53% of support it had obtained in 2000.
Yet, it was clear that the party would improve on the support it had got in the general election of 2004.
By Thursday evening, the DA had won 50 of the 105 wards in the Cape Metropole, compared to the ANC's 21. No other party had won a ward.
Coalitions on the cards
The possibility of a coalition government was mentioned after DA Leader Tony Leon had invited other parties to join the DA, where it was plausible, in favour of a strong government.
Coalition governments also became a strong possibility in several rural municipalities where the DA and ANC had ended in neck-and-neck results.
Smaller parties, especially the Iindependent Democrats, held the balance of power.
The ID could determine who would be in power in more than half of the 30 city councils.
Amid indications in ID circles that some of the party's leaders might be interested in coalitions or agreements of co-operation, party leader Patricia de Lille has intimated that the ID would not allow it.