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Daniel Silke | DA's electoral puzzle: Why has it made no gains amid state failures?

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DA leader John Steenhuisen during the party's manifesto launch at Union Buildings on 17 February. (Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
DA leader John Steenhuisen during the party's manifesto launch at Union Buildings on 17 February. (Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

The official opposition has faced a tough electoral campaign. Daniel Silke breaks down several factors that reveal why the DA has been struggling to grow its support, despite the current state of the country.

If there's one question the DA dislikes more than any other from the commentariat, it is to question why, given the state of the country, the party is not performing better among voters. 

It's a fair question. With broad-based state failure across most macroeconomic measurements and service delivery assessments, the DA should be gaining considerable electoral ground. Instead, if opinion polls are accurate, the party seems reasonably stagnant in the low 20% range. 

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