DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA) WINS BIG IN TWO LOCAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAPE TOWN 000083 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PDEM SF SUBJECT: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA) WINS BIG IN TWO LOCAL ELECTIONS 1.(SBU) Summary: On March 25, The Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party in Parliament and key member of the coalition leading Cape Town, won two Cape Town local council by-elections by considerable margins, suggesting the party is well-placed for a strong showing in national elections in the Western Cape on April 22. Both by-elections were peaceful and without incident, and turnout was relatively high. Poloff and Econoff visited polling stations in the two wards-one in the middle-class northern suburb of Parow and other in the gritty Mitchell,s Plain township on the Cape Flats-and witnessed vibrant campaigning by all major parties, as well as a few smaller local ones. End summary. -------------- Ward 2-Bellville and Parow -------------- ¶2. (U) Poloff visited polling stations in Cape Town,s Ward 2, which comprises the predominantly middle-class, Afrikaans-speaking neighborhoods of Parow and Bellville, wherein the racial makeup is mixed white and colored. The election here-a stronghold of the Democratic Alliance-was necessitated by the death of the local councilor. Despite being contested by the ANC and the Congress of the People, the result was no surprise, as the DA candidate won more than 96 percent of the vote on a voter turnout of 36 percent. ¶3. (U) Although the ANC, DA and COPE competed for the vacant seat, only the former two parties had a significant presence in the ward in terms of both personnel and campaign posters, which in South Africa is a primary mode of campaign outreach. As has been the case for weeks, COPE had very few posters in the wards and at the polling stations, both of party leader Lekota and of their ward candidate. A COPE official explained to Poloff that COPE does not have the funding to put up posters as much as the party would like. ¶4. (SBU) Poloff met an ANC offical at one polling station, and he accused the DA of engaging in underhanded tactics in getting out voters. The candidate-a white, Afrikaner man who did not wear any clothing or emblem that affiliated him with the ANC-said he personally approached voters and asked, "did the DA call you to come vote?" He said that many of the voters responded that the DA did call them and tell them to come vote, "or else the blacks will take over." The Cape Times reported after the poll that the DA was accused of illegally providing food parcels in order to secure votes. Poloff saw no indications of any illegal or underhanded campaigning by the DA. ¶5. (SBU) The ANC official also introduced Poloff to former Cape Town Mayor Nomaindiya Mfeketo (a member of the NEC and number 22 on the ANC National list),a local resident who had come to vote. In their brief discussion, Mfeketo criticized Health Minister Barbara Hogan for speaking out against the SAG for refusing the Dalai Lama a visa, saying Hogan does not know her place within the ANC and should not have spoken against the party line. -------------- Ward 79-Mitchell,s Plain -------------- ¶6. (U) In Mitchell,s Plain,s Ward 79--comprising the Eastridge section of the poor, colored township on the Cape Flats--the DA won with 79 percent of the vote, taking the ward from the Independent Democrats. Its candidate was formerly the ward,s councilor for the ID before defecting to the DA, a move that prompted the election. The poll, which had a turnout of 37 percent, had several more contestants than the by-election in Parow, including the major parties Qthan the by-election in Parow, including the major parties DA, ANC, COPE and ID, as well as local minnows like the Cape Party and the Universal Party. ¶7. (U) Econoff saw posters for all of the contesting parties but, as in Parow, COPE,s presence was far less visible than the others. The DA in particular appeared to pour extensive resources into this poll, and Econoff observed a pickup truck towing a large DA billboard, picturing the leader of the DA and Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille. Election officials from all parties indicated no problems in their discussions with Econoff. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) One cannot put too much stock into by-election CAPE TOWN 00000083 002 OF 002 results as a measure of a party,s broader popularity. Municipal elections are the one democratic exercise where South African voters vote directly for a candidate, and a popular personality-like the DA,s candidate in Ward 79, can overshadow party affiliations. However, the DA,s overwhelming majority win in these by-elections bodes well for their chances in the upcoming Western Cape Provincial elections, and in particular the party,s efforts to woo colored voters disenchanted with the ANC and ID. Given that colored voters make up about 55 percent of the Western Cape electorate, their support will prove crucial in determining who wins the province. MAYBERRY