By Kouthar Sambo
The general election results from 29th May 2024 reflect that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has garnered the majority vote in the Western Cape. Subsequently, this outcome has raised eyebrows on whether the Muslim community in the province abandoned “pro-Palestine” parties and helped the DA secure its victory.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive on Thursday, the South African Muslim Network Faisel Suleman (SAMNET) said the DA in the Western Cape would have still retained the Western Cape, given the numbers.
“Overall, the voter turnout was about approximately 60%. However, a way to draw more accurate conclusions would have been to have the voter turnout in some of the coloured areas, especially the large Muslim majority, and then see what the voter turnout was like there,” explained Suleman.
What I do suspect is that there could have been a case where some Muslims allowed their needs for service delivery to influence their electoral choice as opposed to the matter of the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza.
“Some Muslims may have been fed up with service delivery issues, fed up with the African National Congress (ANC) and therefore opting for the safer route, which seems to be the DA with less corruption.
“If we had better statistics, you would probably find that within the DA-dominated white suburbs, the voter turnout was much higher while the other areas for voter turn for Muslim coloureds may have a lower turnout. This could be due to apathy, thinking nothing is going to change, not understanding the necessity to vote, etc,” remarked Suleman.
He further added that the numbers he observed reflect a decrease in the areas where Muslims are in large numbers.
“What would be interesting for research purposes is to get a mapping of the number of Muslims who voted and the population of those areas. I think some Muslims went for their own personal benefits in terms of their suburb and the management thereof,” added Suleman.
Furthermore, the first Parliament is taking place on Friday, 14 June, at the International Convention Center (CTICC). More than 300 Members of Parliament (MP) have to take the oath before the election of the speaker and the president.
After a member is elected president, he or she will no longer be an MP. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is the chairperson for the first sitting of the National Assembly.
However, the ANC and the DA have reached a deal to form the Government of National Unity, which will include the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
*This is still a developing story
Photo: VOCfm
