Steenhuisen optimistic about trajectory of party performance

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Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, John Steenhuisen has expressed optimism at the trajectory of the party and its performance.

With preliminary results in and 57.27% of the voting districts having been completed, the DA is sitting at 23.34% of the vote.

This, an increase from the 2019 elections where the party garnered just over 20% of the vote.

Steenhuisen says the official opposition has managed to double the votes among black South Africans and win back some of its votes.

Steenhuisen was speaking to the SABC at the National Results Operations Centre in Midrand.

“It’s great. We’ve been able to hold on to our base. If I look at figures, we’ve doubled our votes amongst black South Africans. In areas where we’ve not done so, well in by-elections recently, we’ve won all those areas back. There’s still a lot of counting that needs to be done, a lot of the metros still have to come in so – we’re nowhere near the end yet, but I’m very pleased with the trajectory and if this trend continues, I think the DA is on track for a good election result,” says Steenhuisen.

Meanwhile, the DA in the Western Cape has rejected a call by the FW de Klerk Foundation on its leadership to “lay down the battle-axe” between them and Gayton Mackenzie’s Patriotic Alliance.

The foundation says it’s time for them to start a constructive conversation focusing on the settlement of disputes and promotion of closer cooperation.

It says the manifestos of both parties have similarities that could find solutions to the many socio-economic challenges.

Speaking at the provincial IEC Results Operations Centre in Cape Town, DA Western Cape Premier Candidate, Alan Winde said the two do not share the same moral and ethical values.

“Politics is about policy, politics it’s about getting power and then doing something about their power politics, it’s about values ethics but quite frankly what Gayton represents does not reflect values and I can’t be part of that,” says Winde.

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