Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has dismissed the growth claimed by his former party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The DA looks set to maintain its majority in the Western Cape and make significant gains in other provinces.
Maimane says DA being ‘disingenuous’
Maimane was leader of the party in 2019 when they secured 20.77% of the vote, a number they look likely to surpass in 2024.
However, in 2019, the DA received 3 622 531 votes, and with 98.86% of the votes counted on Saturday, the IEC records them as having 3 387 731 votes in 2024.
DA leader John Steenhuisen boasted earlier in the week that he had attracted more black voters than his BOSA counterpart had when he was at the helm – something that irked Maimane.
Firing back, Maimane addressed the media on Saturday, saying: “First, I think most analysts could tell you the truth. What happened to the DA’s marginal growth, as they described it, is a return of Freedom Front Plus voters.
“We got 3.6 million votes in 2019, they’ve got 3.3 million votes. Surely, if you were the official opposition when the government lost over 14 points at the polls and you can’t gain even 1% of those 14, like you can’t grow beyond 1%, and then you want to browbeat and say you’ve done extraordinarily well?” he said.
“I think it’s disingenuous at best.”
Maimane coalition claims
As of 1pm on Saturday, and with 98.91% of the vote counted, BOSA had 63 141 votes, or 0.4% of the total.
He claimed to have been approached for coalition talks, but advised: “It’s time for us to sit together as adults and think for South Africans and not for political parties.
“We need to create a new strong centre. If it is not strong, I promise you it will collapse.”
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