Today democracy won. Today the DA took part in a by-election in an ANC stronghold and the DA had a table less than 5 metres away form the ANC and there were no incidents of intimidation or violence. Political tolerance shows that democracy is winning. People have matured and realise that South Africa is not a one party State and that all political parties have a right to participate in elections. This bodes well for the future of democracy in South Africa.
The DA also won today. Whilst not receiving an outright majority the party managed to grow by 498% from 1.78% of the vote in the 2009 general election to 10.65% of the vote in this by-election. With by-elections having traditional low voter turnout and this case a turnout of only 21.58% the DA doubled its actual voters despite low turnout. The growth is encouraging and promises more for the future.
These results reinforce what the DA and the public know. It shows once again how voters are slowly turning away from the ANC. This trend is in line with our opinion polls and indicates that the chances of the DA winning control over the Tshwane metro council in 2011 is increasing. Voters are turning away from the ANC and the poor administration of Mayor Ramokgopa.
Should the support for the DA in ANC stronghold continue to exceed 10% then a win for the DA and residents in 2011 is a reality. The chance to bring about the change needed, real infrastructure development and efficient administration is a few months away, provided voters do their bit to register and vote for the government which they deserve.
The DA thanks all voters for casting their vote and urges residents to ensure that they are correctly registered so that they will be able to cast their ballot in 2011 to bring about the change which the DA and our open opportunity policies promise for all South Africans.
