Politics of the Western Cape

The politics of the Western Cape differs from that of most other provinces in South Africa, because, unlike the other provinces, the African National Congress (ANC) does not dominate the political landscape. Instead, the province is a stronghold for the Democratic Alliance (DA), which has won a majority of the vote in the province in every national, provincial, and municipal election since 2009. The Western Cape's political landscape is also notable for the presence of a relatively strong local devolution and separatist movement.^[1][2][3]

In the 2004 provincial election, no party achieved an absolute majority in the province, with the ANC having a plurality of 45% of the votes. In the aftermath of the election, the ANC formed a coalition government with the New National Party (NNP), which won 11% of the vote. During the 2005 floor crossing period all of the NNP members of the Provincial Parliament defected to the ANC, giving the ANC an absolute majority in the provincial parliament. The ANC chose Ebrahim Rasool as Premier; in 2008 he was replaced by Lynne Brown.

The official opposition in the Western Cape after the 2004 provincial election was the Democratic Alliance (DA), which received 27% of the vote in the provincial ballot. The City of Cape Town, the most populous municipality in the province, was governed by a multi-party coalition led by the DA after the 2006 municipal elections. The DA increased its share of the vote during the 2011 municipal elections to 61.09%, giving them a firm majority and allowing them to govern the City of Cape Town without their former coalition partners ^[4]

In the 2009 provincial election, the ANC was unseated by the DA, which took 51.46% of the vote.^[5] This election marked the first time since the end of apartheid that a party scored an overall majority in the province. DA leader Helen Zille replaced Lynne Brown as Premier on 6 May 2009.^[6]

In the 2014 provincial election, the DA maintained its hold on the province, increasing its majority to 59.4%, with Helen Zille remaining Premier.

In the 2019 provincial election, the DA won a reduced majority of 55.45%. Alan Winde of the DA replaced Helen Zille as Premier after the election.

In the 2024 provincial election, the DA was reelected for a fourth term in office with a majority of 55.30%, with Alan Winde remaining Premier.

• Cape Independence
• Politics of South Africa
• Government of the Western Cape