Democratic Alliance - South Africa
The Democratic Alliance (DA) was formed in an effort to consolidate the opposition parties in South Africa and create an effective opposition to the ANC. The DA focuses on service delivery and its policy concentrates on human rights, the environment and limiting the power of the state through clearly defining the line between the ruling party and government and devolving the decision making power to the lowest possible level.
The DA has been the official opposition in South Africa since 1999. In the National Assembly elections in April 2009, the DA received 16.6% of the vote and won 67 seats in the National Assembly. This saw the DA gain over a million more votes than during the April 2004 elections, when the party received 12.4% of the vote and won 50 seats.
At a regional level, the DA also grew in eight out of South Africa's nine provinces, increasing the total number of seats held by the party in provincial legislatures from 51 in 2004, to 65 in 2009. The party is now represented by at least two members in every legislature.
The DA won an outright majority (51.5%) on the Western Cape provincial ballot and a majority in the legislature (22 out of the 42 seats). Its growth in this province has been significant, not just in the 2009 election but in the 2004 election that preceded it. In 2004 the DA grew by 124% or 235,649 votes to 27.1%. In 2009 it exceeded even that, growing by 138% or 587,736 votes and capturing in excess of 1 million votes in the province.
The present leader of the Democratic Alliance is Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, who took over from Tony Leon in May 2006. Zille was voted World Mayor of the Year in 2008 while serving as mayor of Cape Town, South Africa's second largest city. In the National Assembly, the party is led by Athol Trollip MP. The Democratic Alliance's chairperson is Joe Seremane, the party's federal chairperson is James Selfe MP. The International Liaison for the party is Tim Harris MP.
Contact
The Democratic Alliance
PO Box 15
Cape Town
8000
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 465 1431
Fax: +27 (0) 21 461 5559
Mobile: +27 (0) 824 273 751
Email: tim@africatech.co.za
Website: http://www.da.org.za