GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
15 February 2024
The two old powerhouses of South African politics, the ANC and DA, could only muster a combined 48% of the vote in yesterday’s Theewaterskloof by-election.
Three years ago, in the 2021 Local Government Elections, the two parties commanded 70% of the vote in Ward 10 (Elgin Farms).
The big loser, yesterday, was the DA which shed nearly half its support, dropping from 51% in 2021 to 28% in just three years. In fact, of all the parties that contested both elections the DA was the only loser; the only party to reduce its share of the vote.
The biggest gains were recorded by the GOOD Party (from 11% in 2021 to 26% yesterday) and the Patriotic Alliance (from 12% to 21%).
By-elections are not always the most accurate predictors of results in general elections, but yesterday’s Theewaterskloof result very graphically demonstrated that the Western Cape is not exempt from the political realignment underway in the rest of the country.
Five years ago, we established the GOOD Movement because we recognised that South Africans were looking for viable alternatives to the old parties.
Although the one claims to govern better than the other, the truth is that, as a combination of government and official opposition, they have led the country to the brink of disaster.
Millions of our people – youth and women, in particular – remain locked out of the economy and stripped naked of their dignity, as they were under apartheid. Millions across the country, including in the DA-led Western Cape, continue to live in hideous, unhealthy and unsafe conditions.
The result of the Theewaterskloof by-election didn’t fall from the sky; it is part of a downward trend for the old parties over the past several elections.
The Western Cape must prepare itself for coalition government. The old two-horse race is at an end and. Looking at the state of the country, that’s a very good thing.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 082 518 3264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 073 367 1223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za