Once viewed as a minor player in Western Cape politics, the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has rapidly emerged as one of the most disruptive forces in the province’s political landscape.
With the 2026 local government elections approaching, the party led by Gayton McKenzie is increasingly being discussed not only for its electoral gains but also for the way it speaks to communities that feel overlooked by mainstream politics.
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The PA’s growing support appears to be driven by two interconnected dynamics: its appeal to identity and belonging among many coloured and working-class communities, and its demonstrated ability to mobilise voters who have historically stayed away from the polls.
POLITICS ROOTED IN FRUSTRATION
Political activist Henriette Abrahams argues that the PA’s rise cannot be understood without recognising the lived realities of many communities across the Western Cape.
According to Abrahams, issues frequently highlighted by McKenzie, including unemployment, housing shortages and perceived competition for scarce resources, resonate because they reflect genuine frustrations experienced by residents.
“The fact that our people are unemployed is real. The fact that our people are suffering is real. The fact that we don’t have sufficient housing is real,” Abrahams said in an interview with Eyewitness News.
However, she warns that some political movements are increasingly framing these struggles through racial or group identities.
Abrahams describes this as a form of identity politics, where socio-economic grievances become tied to questions of race, heritage and belonging rather than broader structural challenges.
She cautions that voters should be wary of politicians who exploit genuine hardships for political gain.
The debate mirrors a wider national conversation about the rise of parties that foreground coloured identity and community-specific grievances in South African politics.
Analysts have noted that the PA has increasingly positioned itself as a champion of coloured communities who feel marginalised by both the ANC and DA.
A GROWING CHALLENGE TO THE DA
The Western Cape has long been the Democratic Alliance’s strongest province, but recent by-election results suggest the political landscape is becoming more competitive.
Over the past two years, the PA has secured a series of notable by-election victories in municipalities including George, Stellenbosch, Swellendam and other areas traditionally dominated by larger parties.
These victories have helped fuel perceptions that the party is emerging as the most serious challenger to the DA in several working-class and rural communities.
Political analyst Wayne Sussman says what makes the PA’s growth particularly noteworthy is that it is not merely benefiting from low-turnout protest votes.
Instead, the party appears to be drawing new and previously disengaged voters into the electoral process.
ACTIVATING VOTERS
One of the most significant trends identified by electoral analysts is the unusually high turnout recorded in several by-elections won by the PA.
According to IEC figures cited by analysts, turnout in wards where the party won or retained seats this year ranged between 46% and 58%, levels considerably higher than those often seen in municipal by-elections.
Sussman says this suggests the party has succeeded in motivating people who either did not vote previously or had become disengaged from electoral politics.
“They have turned out voters who are new voters, or have opted out of voting in the last elections,” Sussman explained.
He argues that the PA’s campaigning style, which relies heavily on community engagement, rallies, entertainment and the visibility of McKenzie himself, has helped create enthusiasm among supporters.
The party has also demonstrated an ability to attract support from former DA, ANC and smaller-party voters, particularly in communities where concerns around crime, unemployment, housing and immigration feature prominently.
BEYOND PROTEST POLITICS
While critics accuse the PA of encouraging narrow nationalism and identity-based politics, supporters argue the party is simply giving voice to communities that have long felt ignored.
The party itself says it emerged from the experiences and struggles of coloured communities but describes itself as a multiracial movement seeking broader national support.
Whether the PA’s success is rooted primarily in identity politics, effective grassroots campaigning, dissatisfaction with established parties, or a combination of all three remains a matter of debate.
What is becoming increasingly difficult to dispute, however, is the party’s growing electoral footprint.
For decades, Western Cape politics was largely defined by the contest between the DA and the ANC.
As the local government elections draw closer, the rise of the Patriotic Alliance suggests that dynamic is changing.
The crucial question now is whether the PA can replicate its impressive by-election performances on a much larger municipal election stage.
If it can, the party may prove to be one of the defining political stories of the Western Cape’s next electoral cycle.
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Carlo Petersen
www.ewn.co.za