Instability in coalition governments, coupled with hamstrung service delivery, will weigh heavily on voters in Nelson Mandela Bay’s northern areas when they head to the polls in the 2026 local government elections.
This is the view of newly elected DA northern areas constituency chair Georgina Faldtman.
However, she is confident the party will fend off rising competition and retain all nine of its wards.
Faldtman, who had been acting chair, was elected unopposed at an AGM at the weekend.
On the DA’s prospects, she said the strong turnout the party secured in the recent Ward 34 by-election was proof that it could still mobilise its voter base.
“The build-up to the election showed what we are prepared to do — even our councillors took money out of their own pockets to paint road markings to demonstrate the kind of government the DA would bring.
“What we can do is deliver services to our people, be responsive, and keep our communities informed by giving them feedback about what is happening in the municipality.
“We can’t stop other parties from contesting, but we can provide the services our people desperately need,” she said.
While the DA retained the hotly contested ward in July, the result signalled shifting voter dynamics, with the Patriotic Alliance closing the gap and finishing just 188 votes behind.
The DA secured 2,382 votes (46.56%), while the PA received 2,194 (42.89%).
The DA currently holds nine wards in the northern areas, namely: 10, 11, 12, 13, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 37.
Faldtman said there was no longer an appetite in communities for coalition governments.
“I am confident the DA will grow its majority.
“When you look at the current state of the northern areas — and Nelson Mandela Bay as a whole — it is in such a mess that the people of this city don’t want coalition governments anymore.”
She criticised recent municipal efforts to improve cleanliness, saying residents in the northern areas had been sidelined.
“There was a cleaner city project introduced recently. A plan was put before the council, but nothing has been done.
“They’ve restricted the rollout only to the townships, and that is a clear indication that they don’t care about our people in the northern areas,” she said.
The metro’s public health department has been rolling out poly-timber refuse bins across the city as part of efforts to curb littering and promote cleanliness.
The Herald
