Cape Town is the city of hope for South Africa’s future
3 November 2021
Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Geordin Hill-Lewis
With the results now nearly finalised, the Democratic Alliance is proud to announce that the people of Cape Town have elected a new DA government with a strong, outright majority.
Our projection of the results show that Capetonians have strongly affirmed the DA’s track record of delivering the best basic services to all residents, that they trust the DA to get things done, and to do more to secure Cape Town’s future.
Projections indicate that we will win around 58,5% of the vote, nearly 40 percentage points ahead of the second largest party.
I sincerely thank the people of Cape Town for putting their trust in me and the Democratic Alliance for the next five years. We are humbled by this show of faith, and we will work tirelessly to make every Capetonian proud to live in this city under a DA government that cares for them and works for them.
Our purpose in government is simple: to improve the living conditions of the poorest residents, to roll back poverty, to spread opportunity, to grow the economy, to deliver excellent basic services, to inspire optimism, and to be an example to the country.
Cape Town must be the city that inspires hope for South Africa’s future. This means we must move boldly to protect Cape Town from the failures of service collapse at a national level – in electricity, in policing, and in public transport.
This was our clear offer to voters in this election, and it is our commitment going forward. Nothing exemplifies this commitment more than our determination to end load shedding in Cape Town over time. As if to confirm the urgency of this task, rolling power blackouts returned on the very same day that it became clear that the DA had won a renewed majority in Cape Town.
But the DA’s work to protect Cape Town from the collapse of the national government does not only matter for the people of Cape Town. The success of our project to secure Cape Town’s future also matters profoundly for the rest of the country.
The main national story of this election is quickly shaping up to be a dramatic falling away of support for the ANC, which has for the first time fallen well below 50% voter support in the country. This is a profound turning point moment and is very good news for South Africa.
Millions of South Africans have taken the bold first step into a new future free from the ANC. The DA’s task now is to turn Cape Town into a shining example of what is possible when voters who are done with the ANC take the next step by choosing a better alternative. We must be that alternative.
Together, we will secure Cape Town’s future, and show the rest of South Africa what is possible when voters take the courageous step of replacing ANC failure with DA progress.
Issued by Geordin Hill-Lewis, DA Cape Town Mayor Elect, 3 November 2021
