The DA in the Eastern Cape has set its sights on dramatically increasing its support in four “battleground” municipalities in the Sarah Baartman district in the upcoming local government elections.
In a wide-ranging interview ahead of the party’s Eastern Cape congress in February, provincial leader Andrew Whitfield said the DA was targeting the Makana, Dr Beyers Naude and Blue Crane Route municipalities, along with its stronghold in Kouga where it was consolidating its grip.
He said the DA had identified these municipalities as key battlegrounds as the party looked to expand its footprint in the Sarah Baartman district.
Without revealing numbers, Whitfield said the DA’s membership in the province was the highest it had ever been.
As political parties gear up to woo voters ahead of the local elections, the DA also believes it can make inroads in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, while positioning itself to emerge as the largest party in Nelson Mandela Bay, now run by an ANC-led coalition.
The DA and ANC were neck and neck in the Bay in the 2021 local government elections, each attaining 48 council seats.
The ANC is the majority party in the Makana, Blue Crane Route and Inxuba Yethemba local municipality councils and runs the Dr Beyers Naude municipality through a coalition.
The DA, meanwhile, held on to its majority in the Kouga council after a closely contested by-election in November.
Whitfield confirmed on Thursday that he would stand for a second term as the party’s Eastern Cape leader.
The DA will hold its elective congress in Gqeberha on February 27 and 28.
Whitfield said the party was stronger than it had been in years, having emerged from what he described as its most volatile period.
This followed the departure of its former Eastern Cape leader, Nqaba Bhanga, who returned to the ANC in May 2024, as well as the resignation of Mmusi Maimane as DA party leader in 2019.
“The DA in the Eastern Cape went through a period of extreme volatility in the run-up to the 2021 local government elections.
“You will recall the controversial situation around our mayoral candidate in Nelson Mandela Bay, who at the time was also the provincial leader.
“Before that, in 2019, the DA underwent a leadership change that was deeply disruptive and resulted in a loss of momentum,” Whitfield said.
“Considering where we have come from, and the instability before the last congress, we have managed to turn the corner in terms of real votes.”
Whitfield said the party had grown its membership to its highest level ever, was raising more funds than before and expanding its support base.
“We are growing our support in communities where there is a stereotype that the DA cannot grow in black communities.
“We have demonstrated in places like Makana, in Ward 10, that this is simply not the case.”
After his removal from the cabinet, where he served as deputy minister of trade and industry, Whitfield said he was refocusing his efforts on rebuilding the party’s branch structures in the province.
“We’ve built a high-performance team in the province that can deliver results and buck national trends,” Whitfield said.
“We’ve also fought and won two highly competitive by-elections — in Ward 34 in [Gqeberha’s] northern areas and Ward 2 in Kouga.”
Whitfield’s dismissal from the cabinet in June 2025, months after he travelled to Washington without securing the permission of President Cyril Ramaphosa, became a major point of contention within the government of national unity (GNU).
Whitfield said his personal feelings about the decision were secondary to broader political stability.
“Whether I’m happy or unhappy is irrelevant. What matters is the stability of the GNU and the DA advancing its policy proposals.”
Whitfield said he was now focused on provincial work and preparations for the local government elections, adding that the party’s approach to the GNU would benefit SA.
“Executive members report to the president, but when conducting party business — which is what I was doing — they also report to their party leadership.
“I was asked by my party to go to Washington.
“When I had not received permission from the president, I consulted the party leader on whether to proceed, and the answer was yes,” Whitfield said.
The Herald
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