Elections 2026: What Will It Take to Unseat the Da?

Ja né, the words of a late councillor still ring in my ears years later.
He once told me: “Al sit hulle ‘n vark se gesig langs die DA, sal die DA wen.”
This was after I questioned him about why he wasn’t doing enough work in our ward.
Today, his words ring true, and sadly so.

No amount of voter-shaming, anti-Zionist arguments, accusations of poor governance or highlighting the failures of the DA seemed enough to convince voters to change their minds.

And so, the DA does it again!

They have even managed to bring in fresh faces, some of whom successfully used their social media influence to build political support. Whatever one thinks of their methods, it worked for them.

Misplaced Confidence of Smaller Parties

Then we come to the smaller parties.
Many were overconfident despite their underachievement. Some appeared completely unfocused, jumping from one issue to another like political ADHD, while others were downright arrogant, rude and more interested in fighting personalities than winning over voters.
Instead of telling communities what they could offer, too many spent their campaigns telling people why they shouldn’t vote for somebody else.

The PA, however, deserves an observation. Towards the end, they appeared more disciplined, more cohesive and more focused. Despite the controversies and challenges surrounding them, they continued pushing forward with their campaign.
And perhaps that is where the lesson lies.

You cannot unseat a party simply by hating it louder than the next person.
You cannot insult voters into changing their minds. You cannot build political credibility on Facebook arguments, personal attacks and inflated expectations.
You need organisation, discipline, consistency, credible candidates and, most importantly, a reason for people to trust you with their vote.

The DA clearly understands something its opponents have yet to master: elections are not won by noise alone.

The Voters Have Spoken

Whether we like the results or not, voters have spoken.
And until opposition parties learn to organise better, work harder and offer something more convincing than anti-DA rhetoric, we may very well be having this same conversation at the next election.

The question is no longer why the DA keeps winning. The question is why its opponents keep failing to convince voters that they deserve to win.

Ja né. Politics is not for the faint-hearted.