• The DA looks set to retain control of the Western Cape even though it could be with a slightly reduced majority.
• The Patriotic Alliance has shown a surge in support.
• Track the latest results via our Elections Map.
• Find everything you need to know about the 2024 general elections on News24’s Elections Hub.

“We didn’t chase every dog that barked at us.”

That was the DA Western Cape’s recipe for success in this general election, according to provincial leader Tertius Simmers, as several political parties set out to eat away at his party’s support.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA), Rise Mzansi and the local Cape Coloured Congress were the smaller parties that had set out to wrestle votes from the DA so much so that DA leader John Steenhuisen labelled them “political mercenaries”.

But on Thursday morning, it was clear that the DA was leading the pack in its stronghold province.

The party came in with 446 712 votes, by Thursday night, giving it 52% of the vote so far.

Simmers said the party was successful because it had led a focused campaign and “didn’t chase every dog that barked at us – and there were quite a few of them”.

“But also, you know, [we gave] an offering to the electorate of the Western Cape, which is sound. It’s realistic. We are a party of governance, and we could show the programmes we can further expand on once we return to government, which we will be doing,” Simmers said.

READ | PA’s mass rallies across Western Cape exposes DA’s fear of losing crucial coloured votes

Simmers added that the DA’s message and record of good governance had filtered down to the voters.

“We engaged them on their level because a lot of the opposition parties who were coalescing against the DA actually made [the DA] their enemy, [but] our track record in this province and also at the national level speaks of a party that stands up for all the people,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the DA did not speak “pie in the sky” to voters.

“If you compare what we’ve done in the previous 15 years of government, we have shown that we are able to show alternative government solutions, alternative policy implementation solutions, and that we can change our people’s lives,” he added.

Simmers also said the party’s messaging on innovation, energy, jobs, fighting for devolution of policing and rail functions was well received.

Meanwhile, the PA made significant inroads into the DA’s support in the coloured community and turned out to be a fierce opponent in the Western Cape.

By 21:00 on Thursday, the party was already the third-biggest party in the province, with 81 695 votes (9.57%).

Nationally, it had 3.46% of the vote (150 588) – the fifth-most votes.

Despite being a decade old, the PA remained on the margins of South African politics until the 2021 municipal elections.

Even then, its support nationally was below 1%.

Its strongest showing was in the Western Cape in that election, obtaining 2.36% of the vote.

In the previous national and provincial elections in 2019, the PA received only 652 votes in the Western Cape – just 0.03%.

Cheslyn Steenberg, PA Cape metro secretary, said party leader Gayton McKenzie’s leadership had been pivotal to the party’s growth.

“He’s a man who understands the language that the people speak.

“But more so, I think [the party has attracted support because of] the manifesto that we have put on the table, namely the Abahambe campaign, which speaks to illegal foreign nationals and what we are going to do about that particularly, also focusing on the jobs and the stimulation of businesses,” Steenberg said.

READ | ‘We don’t live in castles in the sky,’ says Zille on DA’s chances of winning 51% nationally in polls

He added that the PA’s stance on crime and reintroducing the death penalty also resonated with many South Africans.

Earlier this month, the PA won two wards – one from the DA and one from the ANC – in the province.

In Oudtshoorn, the PA secured a ward by 1 279 votes (65.4%). A tally of 853 votes (40.18%) clinched the other ward in the Swartland municipality.

Another small political party that gave the DA trouble in the Western Cape was the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC).

The party that has been labelled a coloured nationalist party, was ranked among the top five parties in the Western Cape on Thursday night.

It overtook seasoned parties, like the Freedom Front Plus and the ACDP, both of which were represented in the National Assembly and Western Cape legislature.

CCC leader Fadiel Adams said they didn’t pay attention to what other political parties were saying.

“We used to be a Facebook page. We just keep doing what we love doing. You know, I’m looking at the board here and his [McKenzie’s] party is worth millions [of rand] and we had R20 000. Our campaign is a direct one and our campaigning is to be found in our everyday work. We didn’t come here three months before the election,” Adams said.

He said the CCC had been working in communities for the last three years.

ANC provincial spokesperson Khalid Sayed said that while the party faced several challenges, there were several positives.

“We are definitely going to get much more than the 2019 vote share. That we are confident about,” he said.