JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 07: Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille poses with supporters at the unveiling of the manifesto address at Johannesburg City Hall on March 07, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The DA stated that the vision of this campaign is to unite the people of Joburg who believe in a City that works, run by a government that cares. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
Though the DA’s Helen Zille is winning the battle for headlines in the Joburg mayoral race, there are signs the party will face significant challenges in winning the “not-ANC” vote in the looming local government elections.
And, as internal tussles intensify in the DA, including around the election of a new leader next month and selection of additional office holders, it is facing significant electoral challenges in two of its traditional support bases, conservative whites and coloureds.
The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) may be one of the DA’s serious challengers. It has already been claimed that DA members have defected to Corné Mulder’s party in significant numbers.
Rival parties threaten DA support
Mulder said the party had seen a steady stream of new members in recent months, with many identifying themselves as former DA supporters.
According to him, the trend became particularly visible over the December-January period, traditionally a quieter time in the political calendar.
“In December and January, we had new memberships coming in at an average of 54 each and every day,” Mulder said. “Of those, 57% said they came from the DA.”
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Mulder said the defections reflect a clearer, visible identity for the FF+. “We are not in the shadow of the DA and also not in the slipstream of the ANC,” he said.
“We have worked hard to establish our own identity and say clearly what we stand for.”
He also suggested internal tensions within the DA have contributed to the exit of members.
Internal tensions contribute to exiting members
“Clearly, there is conflict within the DA,” Mulder said. “When a party has internal conflict, it makes people uncomfortable.”
But insiders in the DA dismiss the claim that the party is losing direction, or haemorrhaging support to the FF+, or any other party.
A well-placed party senior said the noise surrounding the party is largely typical of the period leading up to leadership congresses and candidate selections, when political ambitions often come to the fore.
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“Every time there’s a congress, people start jockeying for positions, and fault lines that normally sit quietly in the background suddenly become visible,” the insider said. “That’s normal politics.”
They added that the party itself is far from rudderless and that day-to-day operations continue much as they have over the past few years.
However, Mulder said the recent spate of negative news emerging from the DA has served to discourage support.
Negative news discouraging support
“The foot-and-mouth disease debacle, leadership elections coming up, the Dion George fiasco have not served the DA,” he said.
“They are very good at scoring own goals.”
Mulder said there is a growing gap in the South African political landscape, a spot he plans to occupy.
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“I position the party just right of centre,” he said.
“There is a huge gap between the ANC and its socialism and the DA and its liberalism.”
According to Mulder, many South Africans hold values that align more closely with conservative principles, such as family values, decentralisation of power, free markets, and a strong stance against corruption and crime.
Insider disputes drifting numbers
However, the DA insider disputed the suggestion that such voters are drifting away from the party in meaningful numbers.
While acknowledging that smaller parties may attract some voters in specific communities, the source said the DA’s broader appeal across communities remains its key strength.
When The Citizen sent questions on the apparent challenges to the DA, a party spokesperson responded: “Your questions indicate this story centres on reporting based on gossip and conjecture, and we won’t be responding to what is clearly intending to be a hit piece.
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“There is a lot of citing of ‘DA insiders’ without putting their names in the questions, and therefore, please go back to your ‘DA insiders’ and inform them to speak to their party rather than leak to the press.”
However, national spokesperson Jan de Villiers said the FF+ does not pose a threat to the DA and his party remains confident about its electoral prospects.
“DA membership numbers are strong, and we are polling strongly and on track for a good election result, where we could be the largest party in as many as 60 municipal councils,” De Villiers said.
Spokesperson denies FF+ threat
“It’s unfortunate that the FF+ has declared the DA their enemy, and if they want to play politics rather than try to fix SA, that is their choice, but the DA isn’t interested in the whims of 1% parties,” he said.
“The DA is focused on becoming the largest party in SA by overtaking the ANC, and our strategy and goals are based on that.”
However, Mulder said a measure of declining support for larger parties means smaller parties will increasingly find themselves holding the balance of power in metros.
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“You don’t have to win the election to have influence,” he said. “You can be the kingmaker sitting where decisions are made.”
He said the FF+ intends to contest more wards nationally.
Mixed blessings in by-elections
In recent months, the DA’s by-election performance has been mixed, but largely stable across several provinces, with the party retaining five of its existing seats, gaining three from the ANC and losing three to rival parties.
In the wards it successfully defended, the DA posted strong margins in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, winning with 63.01%, 47.44%, 97.18%, 53.20% and about 95% of the vote respectively.
The party also managed to take three wards from the ANC in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, securing victories with 35.21%, 35.03% and 40.47%.
The DA’s setbacks included one of its wards in the Northern Cape, which was lost to the ANC, where the governing party won with 42.13% of the vote.
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Two wards in the Western Cape were won by the Patriotic Alliance, where it secured wins with 59.98% and 65.26% against the DA.
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