South Africa's DA refuses coalitions at all costs in Western Cape
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
South Africa's Democratic Alliance warns it would rather stay in opposition than govern with parties it considers poor managers, as the 2026 local elections could leave at least 16 Western Cape municipalities without an absolute majority. The DA is leading in many counted voting stations, ahead of the African National Congress and the Patriotic Alliance, according to IOL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa's main opposition party, would rather sit in opposition than form coalitions with parties it considers to have mismanaged municipalities, Grant Twigg, a member of the DA's Western Cape provincial executive committee and of the City of Cape Town mayoral committee, has warned, according to IOL.
The results of the 2026 local elections leave at least 16 Western Cape municipalities without an absolute majority, which could force parties to negotiate in order to govern. The DA is leading in many voting stations already counted, ahead of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
Grant Twigg said the DA would wait for the final results before choosing its partners, among parties and independent candidates sharing its priorities. "If there are no partners in certain municipalities, we would rather go into opposition," he said, adding that the party would refuse to ally with formations that had "governed alone" municipalities before "scuppering" them. He nevertheless acknowledged a responsibility to work with partners sharing its views to ensure governance and service delivery.
This position follows the negotiations under way since the municipal elections: the Patriotic Alliance announced on 6 November that it preferred the FF+ and ActionSA for its coalitions, while the DA retained the municipality of uMngeni with more than 60% of the vote on 5 November.
