2008: Accelerating the political realignment

Yesterday, the DA made strong gains in by-elections across the country, rounding off a year of rapid and momentous political realignment. More and more South Africans are rallying behind the DA's vision of an open, opportunity society for all and taking to heart our message that South Africa is one nation with one future.

When, in time to come, historians document and analyse political developments in post-liberation South Africa , they will identify 2008 as a benchmark year in the process of political realignment. This year, we began to break the mould of postcolonial societies undergoing a transition to constitutional democracy.  The "party of liberation" split, and the opposition began to coalesce around common core values rooted in the Constitution.

The by-elections results confirm various trends which the DA identified ahead of many political analysts, and which have been made clearer by events this year. They are: the start of the ANC's implosion and the DA's consolidation as a party of government, with growing support from South Africans of all races. 

After this week's by-elections, the worn-out smear - that the DA is a "white" party - loses all credence.

In the Western Cape , the DA won 9 out of 18 wards previously held by the ANC. Altogether the ANC lost 25 out of 27 wards which it had previously controlled in the province.

The DA will now take control of the Cederberg Municipality and the Theewaterskloof Municipality .

The DA also recorded a significant increase in support among black voters in areas like Kosovo and Langa in Cape Town , and among coloured voters in Mitchell's Plain - the latter at the ID's expense.

The by-election results show that we are on track to win the Western Cape in 2009; that we are gaining voters who have not historically supported us, but who share our values; and that we are consolidating the support of our traditional voters.

For us, the results are a fitting way to end the year. They put us in pole position to drive forward the process of political realignment as we approach the 2009 general election.

The DA initiated this process in 2006 when we emerged as the largest party in Cape Town , and came to power in a seven-party coalition. Despite the ANC's repeated failed attempts to unseat the DA-led multiparty government, the coalition has generally worked well, despite inevitable difficulties. 

Coalition-driven realignments will eventually lead to the ANC losing power at all levels of government. There are encouraging signs (reinforced by the by-elections) that we will win the Western Cape and possibly take power from the ANC in some other provinces after the 2009 election. We will win major cities after the 2011 local government elections. And the process of political realignment will be complete when we become a party of government nationally after the 2014 election - either on our own or in coalition with other parties.

The DA is now indisputably a party of government. We are no longer only an opposition party. Because we wanted publicly to confirm and manifest this change, we relaunched the party at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg in November. We wanted to show that we share a dream for South Africa with millions of people who do not yet identify with the DA, and millions more who do. That dream is of an open, opportunity society for all in which citizens are equipped with the tools they need to exercise their freedom, take responsibility to use their opportunities, and work hard to develop their full potential.

In its own way, our relaunch will - with the benefit of hindsight - be viewed as an important marker in the process of political realignment.

In 2008, the bonds of loyalty that have historically tied the majority of voters to the ANC began to unravel, and the notion of political choice - the idea that voters can cast their ballots for an alternative party without guilt or retribution - was legitimised. To this end, the breakaway of an ANC faction led by Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa and the impending launch of Cope are positive developments for democracy.

So too was the National Convention held in November, which was attended by all the major opposition parties and which discussed ways to protect and defend the Constitution from the ANC's onslaught against it.

All parties agreed to protect and strengthen constitutional institutions, including Parliament, the judiciary, and Chapter 9 institutions; uphold the principle of equality before the law; and respect the rule of law. The Convention showed that there is a meeting of minds among opposition parties on the need to live the values of the Constitution and to safeguard our hard-earned constitutional compact.

It underscored the idea (long-championed by the DA) that all those who believe in the supremacy of the Constitution, or what I call the regstaat, belong in the same political party. All those who believe in the supremacy of the ruling clique of the ruling party, in other words "the higher law of the party", or the magstaat, belong in a different party.

In sum, the Convention achieved two things: it offered a forum conducive to accelerating the realignment, and it highlighted that the Constitution must be the basis of the realignment.

The DA has always understood that protecting and defending the Constitution is a political imperative. That is why we opposed the Erasmus Commission in the Cape High Court , on the grounds that it was an illegal and unconstitutional attempt by the ANC provincial government to undermine the DA through unfounded smear campaigns, and to prevent us from winning the Western Cape in next year's election. The Court concurred with us and delivered a watershed verdict in September that was a victory not just for us or even the City of Cape Town alone. It was a victory for the Constitution. It showed that the judiciary is prepared and willing to check the ruling party when it abuses state power in an attempt to drive its political agenda.

As we go into the New Year, we will continue to protect and defend the Constitution; we will continue to promote the open, opportunity society for all; and we will continue to push forward the realignment on the basis of constitutional values. This week's by-election results have given us renewed hope that we can persuade more and more South Africans of the importance of our task. They increasingly understand that unless the constitutional framework is in place, we will never adequately deal with the core issues that concern South Africans every day - crime, jobs, housing, education and health.

Finally, as this is the last SA Today of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all readers a joyous festive season and a prosperous New Year. I look forward to joining hands with you in 2009 to ensure that the DA does the best it can in the election, and continues to build a brighter future for all South Africans.

This article by Helen Zille first appeared in SA Today, the weekly online newsletter of the leader of the Democratic Alliance, December 12 2008