On the morning of the (23 May 2011), I listened painfully to the after eight debate at SAFM entitled "has the ANC abandoned its non-racist and non-sexist principles". In attendance was the DA's Ryan Coetzee and another professor.
Firstly, I had a problem with how the debate was framed. I think the debate ought to have been framed in such a way that all political parties that just participated in elections are scrutinized in terms of the afore-mentioned principles. The way it was framed creates a scenario where the ANC had to defend herself to the DA.
The DA claims that they have taken the minority vote because the ANC have abandoned the afore-mentioned principles. It further claims that its increase in percentage terms is necessarily because of the gains they have made in the Black vote and presumably ANC traditional vote.
Well, the problem of Coloured and Indian voters that are now going to the DA, is not new. We know that the Coloured vote is a difficult vote. Coloureds in the Western Cape have never overwhelmingly voted the ANC into power including in 1994 at the back of the ANC liberating all of us. A majority of them voted for the NNP, the former oppressor. This is due to the differentials of the Apartheid system where Coloureds were treated better than Africans.
They were part of the tri-cameral parliament, they got much cushier jobs and even in Robben Island they were entitled to long pants and better rations that us as Africans and the latter applied to Indians as well. In spite of this reality the ANC took it upon itself to liberate all, black and White and formed lasting solidarity with other fellow Black men and women irrespective of their persuasion. Now the voting trends we see are reminiscent of that apartheid reality.
These trends are also re-enforced by the opposition with help from sections of the media. To Coloureds and Indians they spread a message that should they get the ANC into power they will be last in the queue. Hence the Western Cape employment structure still mirrors the old apartheid fault lines. It's Whites at the helm, then Coloureds and Indians in secondary managerial jobs and then Africans at the bottom.