THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

THE 2011 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DA'S PERFORMANCE

SUMMARY: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Democratic Alliance growth in the 2011 Local Government Elections [With 95.8% of Voting Districts counted]

TABLE 1: National and Provincial Growth:

Nationally, the DA increased its vote in absolute terms and as a percentage, from 16.3 % [or 1 611 131 votes] in 2006, to 24.3 % [or at least 3 047 649 votes] in 2011. This represents growth of at least 89.2 % from 2006.

The DA was the only established party to grow in the 2011 elections. It grew nationally, provincially, and in every metro and municipality it contested. 

TABLE 2: Metros:

The DA increased its support in every metro both in percentage and in absolute terms.

It was the only established party to do this. In seven of the eight metros the DA garnered more support than it managed in 2009.

The DA won the City of Cape Town, increasing its percentage of the vote from 42 % in 2006 to 63 % in 2011.

TABLE 3: Councils where the DA Governs Outright:

In the 2011 elections the DA won thirteen municipalities outright, as well as four district councils, for a total of seventeen councils governed outright by the DA. They span three provinces, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

TABLE 4: Councils where is the Largest Party (but does not govern outright):

There are at least nine municipalities, in addition to those we control outright, that the DA may be able to govern in coalition with other parties, pending the outcome of discussions. Every discussion is dependent on the DA's capacity in that municipality to deliver effective coherent government and that any coalition partner shares the same values and ideals.

Should those discussions result in coalition governments in those municipalities, together with the 17 councils the DA governs outright, it would govern at least 26 councils in total. That is double the amount [13] the DA governed outright or in coalition prior to the 2011 election.

Of those nine councils seven were previously controlled by the ANC.

Of those 26 councils, in total, 13 were previously governed by the ANC

TABLE 5: DA Growth among Black Voters:

The DA increased its percentage share among black voters from approximately 1 % in 2009 to approximately 5 % in 2011.

That 5 % means approximately 20% of the DA's support base is black, making the DA the most diverse party in South Africa

TABLE 6: Wards Won by the DA off the ANC:

The Democratic Alliance won at least 133 wards from the ANC.  To date, a breakdown of those wards is as follows:  [KwaZulu-Natal: 8; Mpumalanga: 5; North West: 1; Limpopo: 3; Gauteng: 18; Free State: 4; Northern Cape: 25; Eastern Cape: 26; Western Cape: 43] As far as the DA can determine, we have lost five wards to the ANC across the country.

TABLE 1.1: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

National and Provincial Growth 

 ANALYSIS:

Nationally, the DA increased its percentage share of the vote from 16.3 % in 2006, to approximately 24.3 % in 2011, an increase of approximately 8 percentage points.

Nationally, in absolute terms, the DA increased its actual votes from 1 611 131 votes in 2006, to at least 3 047 649 votes in 2011, an increase of approximately 1.5 million votes or at least 89.2 %. This is a greater number of votes than the DA secured in the 2009 national election. The DA is the only party to achieve this feat. 

The DA's increase in percentage and absolute terms makes in the second biggest party in South Africa and the second biggest percentage obtained by a political party in South Africa, post 1994.

Provincially, the DA increased its percentage share of the vote and, in absolute terms, its actual votes in every province.

Provincially, the DA's percentage of the vote increased in the provinces by a minimum of 1.3 % [KwaZulu-Natal] and a maximum of 18.8 % [Western Cape].

In seven provinces the DA secured more votes than it did in the 2009 national and provincial election. In six provinces in more than doubled its support from 2006 in absolute numbers.

Outside of first-time parties, the Democratic Alliance was the only established party to grow its support in 2011 local government elections.

TABLE 1.2: AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

National and Provincial Growth

ANALYSIS:

Nationally, the ANC's percentage of the vote decreased, from 65.7 % in 2006, to approximately 62.8 % in 2011, a decrease of approximately 3 percentage points.

Provincially, the ANC decreased its percentage share of the vote in every province with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal, where it grew.

TABLE 2.1: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Metros [* = not yet verified]

 ANALYSIS:

The Democratic Alliance increased its percentage share of the vote and in absolute terms, in every metropolitan council.

The DA is the only party to have achieved this feat.

The DA won the City of Cape Town with 63 % of the vote.

The DA's biggest increase in percentage terms was in Cape Town City where it increased its share of the vote from 42.3 % in 2006, to 63.0 % in 2011. Its smallest increase was in Ekurhuleni where it increased from 25.9 % in 2006, to 30.1 % in 2011.

In absolute terms, the DA grew in every metro.  The DA's biggest increase in absolute terms was in the City of Cape Town where it increased its total votes from 306 246 in 2006, to at least 626 410 in 2011.

Significantly, in almost every instance, the DA secured more votes in a metro in 2011, than it did in the 2009 national election. These include Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay, the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Mangaung.

TABLE 2.2: AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

Metros [* = not yet verified] 

 ANALYSIS:

 The ANC decreased its support in seven out of eight metros from 2006, only increasing its support in eThekwini.

TABLE 3: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Councils Where the DA Governs Outright

 ANALYSIS:

 Prior to the 2011 local government elections, the Democratic Alliance governed six municipalities outright and thirteen in total [seven in coalition with other parties]. In the 2011 elections the DA won thirteen municipalities outright, as well as four district councils, for a total of seventeen councils governed outright by the DA.

The four District Councils controlled outright by the DA are:  The West Coast, Cape Winelands, Overberg and Eden District Councils.

Four of these municipalities were under the ANC's control prior to the elections, as were two District Councils. In total the DA won outright control over six councils previously under the ANC's control.

The DA retained outright control over the six municipalities it controlled with a majority prior to the 2011 elections [Midvaal, Baviaans, Swartland, Theewaterskloof, Overstrand and Mossel Bay] and, in every case, increased it percentage share of the vote and the number of votes its received in absolute terms.

The DA controls municipalities outright in three provinces: The Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape.

TABLE 4: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Councils in which the DA is the Largest Party (but did not win outright) 

ANALYSIS:

There are at least nine municipalities, in addition to those we control outright, that the DA may be able to govern in coalition with other parties, pending the outcome of discussions. Every discussion is dependent on the DA's capacity in that municipality to deliver effective coherent government and that any coalition partner shares the same values and ideals.

Should those discussion all result in coalition governments in those municipalities, together with the 17 councils the DA governs outright, it would govern at least 26 councils in total. That is double the amount [13] the DA governed outright or in coalition prior to the 2011 election.

Of those nine councils seven were previously controlled by the ANC.

Of those 26 councils, in total, 13 were previously governed by the ANC.

[The list above does not include all those municipalities were the DA is in discussions with other parties, merely those where the DA has the largest percentage of the vote without winning outright.]

TABLE 5: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Growth Among Black Voters (a sample of 25 Voting Districts from across the country, where the population consists exclusively of black voters)

ANALYSIS:

The DA increased its support amongst black voters from approximately 1 % in 2009 to approximately 5 % in 2011. There are literally thousands of voting districts across the country which demonstrate this growth. Above is a sample of just 25 such VDs. They demonstrate remarkable growth versus 2006 and 2009.

TABLE 6: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

Wards Won by the DA off the ANC

ANALYSIS:

The Democratic Alliance won at least 133 wards from the ANC.  To date, a breakdown of those wards is as follows:

• KwaZulu-Natal: 8
• Mpumalanga: 5
• North West: 1
• Limpopo: 3
• Gauteng: 18
• Free State: 4
• Northern Cape: 25
• Eastern Cape: 26
• Western Cape: 43

As far as the DA can determine, we have lost five wards to the ANC across the country.

Issued by the DA, May 20 2011

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