PA makes early election gains with George by-election wins

The Patriotic Alliance has made a good start to the local government election season after winning two wards from the Democratic Alliance in a recent by-election in George, Western Cape.

The PA scored wins in Wards 17 and 27, but the DA-led coalition remains in control of the George Council.

Elections analyst and director of Hlaziya Solutions, Paul Berkowitz, said the trend is not a once-off, as the DA has been losing ground to the PA in several municipalities, including George and Mossel Bay.

“The PA was in eighth or ninth place back in 2016, and they shot to fourth place in last year's election in Cape Town. The ANC isn’t so much of an issue.”

While the DA’s loss in these municipalities does not necessarily change the governance structure, it does indicate a shift in voter sentiment.

Berkowitz attributed this shift to the PA’s focus on identity and its ability to connect with voters who may have felt disillusioned in the past by the DA’s performance on key issues such as housing.

“There are some scary statistics when it comes to housing delivery. We hear that very little to no new social housing has been built in the Cape Town metro for a long time. There have been serious service delivery failures by the DA in Cape Town.”

To listen to Berkowitz, use the audio player below: