Democratic Alliance (DA) KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Dean Macpherson says the party could emerge as a decisive player in coalition negotiations across several municipalities in the province following the Local Government Elections.
The DA has retained control of uMngeni Municipality, with Macpherson pointing to the party's governance record as evidence of what it can offer voters across KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking at the provincial results centre at the Durban ICC on Thursday, Macpherson said the party was also making inroads into traditionally African National Congress (ANC)-dominated areas, including township wards.
Commenting on the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party's performance, Macpherson said the DA believed the party had lost support compared to the 2024 elections. However, he stressed that the party would wait for the final results before considering possible coalition arrangements.
“We are very clear that we will wait until every vote is counted, until we are able to see the result. We were able to discuss that internally as an executive and then also with our national structures.
“But the truth is that our phones are on. We are going to be a decisive role player in many municipalities, if not all municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, and never before has the DA been in that position,” Macpherson said.