Will DA’s stance on Gaza-Israel war cost party the Muslim vote?

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) positioning around Gaza and support for Israel has hurt the party’s image and damaged its support, according to Melanie Verwoerd, an independent political analyst.

This comes after the Muslim party, Al Jama-ah, said it would back any political party in South Africa in the May general elections, except for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA.

This was said by the party’s founder and leader of Al Jama-ah, Ganief Hendricks, during a political manifesto launch at Harmony Primary School in Lenasia on 9 March. 

MUSLIM VOTES IN WESTERN CAPE UP FOR GRABS, SAYS ANALYST

Verwoerd says the Western Cape has the biggest Muslim population in South Africa – 6.6% of the province’s total population – meaning that other political parties could take Muslim votes that could have gone to the DA.

As per Project on Middle East Political Science, “Muslims only constitute less than 2% of South Africa’s population and in Cape Town, between 5% and 10% of the city’s inhabitants”.

“That leaves opportunities for other parties; the ANC will probably get some votes, and Al Jama-ah might get some. And the other parties as well,” Verwoerd said.

According to an editorial article in Business Day, the DA could face a Muslim backlash ahead of the 2024 General Elections, especially after the resignation of its former Member of Parliament (MP) Ghaleb Cachalia, who served as the DA’s Deputy Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry.

DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE REJECTS ‘ANTI-PALESTINE’ CLAIMS BY FORMER MP CACHALIA

In his resignation letter, he said the leadership of the DA has become increasingly uncomfortable with his public utterances over the past few months.

“This mainly concerns issues around the war on Gaza. Consequently, I have been fired from my position in the shadow cabinet. Since then, I have been accused of contradicting DA official policy and contravening a caucus injunction to allow only the shadow minister for DIRCO to comment on related matters,” Cachalia wrote at the time.

The DA rejected Cachalia’s claims about the party’s position on the war in Gaza. “The DA remains irrevocably committed to peace, to a two-state solution, and the creation of a sovereign and unoccupied Palestine in peaceful co-existence next to a secure Israel,” said party leader John Steenhuisen at the time.

DA CONDEMNS OCTOBER 2023 HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL

He said Cachalia had disrespected party processes and violated the party’s caucus decision that the party’s shadow minister for international relations and cooperation would be the spokesperson on the war in Gaza.

In a statement issued in October last year, the DA said it condemned Hamas’ unprovoked attack on Israeli territory today during the religious holiday of Simchat Torah.

“The DA condemns this senseless violence and all acts of terror against innocent civilians, women and children and calls for aggressors to this conflict to immediately withdraw,” the party said.

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