DA targets Ekurhuleni majority in make-or-break municipal election

The DA is targeting an outright majority in Ekurhuleni’s municipal elections, which it considers a make-or-break poll for the metro.

According to sources in the party, internal polling reportedly puts the party ahead of the ANC, at 34% to 28%, respectively.

However, mayoral candidate Khathu Rasilingwane said a substantial number of voters, around 22%, remained undecided. She said the party was pushing for 50% plus one, with 45% its minimum target.

“We hope to gain enough votes so that, if there is a coalition, it does not have to involve several parties,” she said. “We have learnt from that experience, and we cannot afford to repeat it.”

Rasilingwane told The Citizen that a separate survey had produced results broadly similar to the DA‘s internal polling. She said the party was concentrating its campaign on persuading undecided voters ahead of the 4 November election.

The DA’s experience in Ekurhuleni after the 2021 elections, she said, had shown the difficulties of governing alongside competing parties.

Rasilingwane said municipal coalition arrangements lacked the formal agreements regulating cooperation between parties in the national Government of National Unity.

“The GNU has guiding documents that regulate how parties work together. We didn’t have anything like that at municipal level,” she said.

Disagreements between coalition partners had sometimes interfered with municipal administration, with political interests taking precedence over residents’ needs. A smaller coalition, supported by a clear governing agreement, would be easier to manage.

DA admits some mistakes after 2021 poll

Voter apathy and, in some cases, fatigue remain significant obstacles to success at the polls.

Rasilingwane claimed more than 295 000 DA supporters failed to vote in the 2021 municipal elections. She said their participation could have changed the party’s electoral fortunes and its position in subsequent coalition negotiations.

“This election, our priority is making sure they turn out on election day in large numbers,” she said.

The party has also concentrated on younger voters, encouraging them to register and participate in the election. Rasilingwane said she had spent the past two months travelling across Ekurhuleni to encourage participation.

However, many residents had become disillusioned with local government, while others questioned whether their votes would make any difference.

Rasilingwane said she had visited every ward in the metro, engaging communities about deteriorating services and municipal accountability.

She said that, if elected mayor, she would introduce skills and lifestyle audits of municipal officials. She also wants greater accountability in procurement and consequences for contractors who abandon projects.

The DA’s previous experience in government had demonstrated the importance of scrutinising appointments and ensuring departments were properly managed.

“We went into government in good faith,” she said. “But we learnt that you need to scrutinise every detail and ensure departments are led by people with the right skills.”

Smaller coalitions work better

She said political leadership alone would not be sufficient without an administration capable of implementing its plans.

As with the 2021 municipal elections and the pattern that followed in the 2024 national poll, metropolitan results could signal broader political trends.

Rasilingwane said the outcome could indicate the country’s political direction ahead of the 2029 national elections.

“The outcome of these municipal elections will give us an indication of what could happen nationally in 2029,” she said.