The DA has increased its percentage share of black voters from 1% in 2009 to about 5% in 2011, according to Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille.
Addressing a media conference at the national IEC centre in Pretoria today, Zille said the 5% meant that about 20% of the DA’s support base was now black.This made the DA the “most diverse party in South Africa”.
She claimed that the DA had won at least 133 wards from the ANC in Wednesday’s election.
This included 8 in KwaZulu-Natal, 5 in Mpumalanga, one in North West, 3 in Limpopo, 18 in Gauteng, 4 in the Free State, 25 in the Northern Cape, 26 in the Eastern Cape and 43 in the Western Cape.Zille said the DA had increased its vote from 16.3% (1 611 131 votes) in 2006 to 24.3% (3 047 649) in 2011.This represents growth of 89.2%.
She pointed out that the DA was the only “established” party to have increased its support in every metro. The DA victory in Cape Town constituted an increase from 42% of the vote in 2006 to 63% in 2011.
The party furthermore won 13 municipalities and four district councils outright and emerged as the largest party in nine municipalities.
Should discussions result in forming coalition governments in these municipalities, the DA would govern at least 26 municipalities. This, said Zille, was double the number (13) the DA governed outright or in coalition prior to the 2011 election.
Of these councils, 13 were previously governed by the ANC.The DA’s purpose, Zille said, was to build a non-racial alternative in South africa that governs well and delivers to all.“And our success in this election shows that we are succeeding beyond our own expectations.”
