The recent result in Ward 110, eThekwini, highlights the critical importance of every single vote.

The DA lost by a mere 22 votes to a group that claims to be “new kids on the block,” the uMkhonto weSizwe Party. However, these so-called newcomers are merely offshoots of the ANC – disgruntled members who now seek to slander their former party. They speak of service delivery woes, corruption and the state of the nation as though they were not the architects of the very rot they now condemn. So, I ask you: what will truly be different? A leopard does not change its spots. How can they be trusted when they are part of the reason we find ourselves in this dire state?

It is equally perplexing why some voters choose independent candidates or smaller parties that have no realistic chance of winning. This only dilutes the vote. Look at the landscape: the DA’s proven track record makes the choice clear. Where the DA governs with an outright majority, life improves and progress is made.

I am not here to slander any other party; to each their own. I simply implore everyone to take voting seriously and think carefully about where you place your X. Reflect on what you have received over the past 30 years. What is five years for a party with a proven track record to prove themselves to you? If you are not satisfied, you can vote differently in the next cycle. I promise you won’t be in a worse situation – in fact, you’ll already be on the road to better things.

Understand that inheriting a mess means not everything will be resolved overnight or within one term. However, you will see clear progress. There will always be those who try to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt, using geopolitical matters to dissuade you. Those who depict the party as being racist, this is utter misinformation. The party is the most diverse in the country with a broad support base across all racial groups and actually black South Africans are the largest block more than white South Africans. But if your own house is not in order, how can you expect to fix anyone else’s issues? The country is in dire straits, and that must be our priority.

The 2026 Local Government Elections are around the corner. Don’t sit back and wonder why you are in the position you are in if you do not make your mark. It astonishes me that the ANC were given 30 years – so why repeat that cycle with those cut from the same cloth?

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