Speaking to Africa Daily at the DA’s manifesto launch rally at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, young supporters said they were turning to the party because they believed it had demonstrated an ability to deliver services and create economic opportunities.
Andre Roodt, from Mogale City, said he had chosen to support the DA because he believed the party was more focused on delivering than making promises.
“I decided to vote for the DA as a young person because they actually do the work. All of the other parties, they make promises but don’t deliver,” Roodt said.
Roodt said he believed a stronger DA presence in government could translate into more employment opportunities for young people.
“If the country becomes blue, everyone’s gonna get better, they’re gonna get work,” he said.
He said he had seen what he believed was evidence of the party’s work and was optimistic about its prospects under DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis.
“Everyone’s working already. The DA is working to create a better future, and we see it becoming a reality,” he said.
Roodt also praised Hill-Lewis following his address at Saturday’s manifesto launch, saying he believed the DA leader could bring about meaningful change.
“Geordin Hill-Lewis is the best leader that we could ask for. His speech was impeccable. He always has the right answers to the problem. I feel he’ll make a change. I feel that we have a future with him.”
For Eunice Khoza, from Ivory Park’s Pholane Park Ward 77, the decision to support the DA was similarly driven by a desire for change and improvements in basic services.
“We want to vote for the DA because we believe it will bring the needed change. Since the other parties have made promises but we are still not getting anything,” Khoza said.
“We want to choose the DA and we want to be blue.”
Khoza said she had seen improvements in employment opportunities and service delivery in her community, which had influenced her decision to support the party.
“From where I am, we have seen more work opportunities and from the local community, service delivery has gotten better,” she said.
She said young people were primarily concerned about finding work and having access to functioning public services.
“As a young person, all we want is to find work, clinics to be well functioning,” Khoza said.
She highlighted ongoing challenges with electricity and water in some communities, saying young voters wanted basic services to work reliably.
“A lot of these areas struggle with electricity and water. We just want that to be better and to have functioning services and accessibility.”
The views from the two supporters come as the DA seeks to position itself as the party capable of fixing municipalities and creating conditions for economic growth ahead of the November polls.
At its manifesto launch, Hill-Lewis placed functioning local government at the centre of the party’s campaign, promising to tackle failing infrastructure, improve basic services, cut red tape for businesses and entrepreneurs and end cadre deployment in DA-governed municipalities.
For young voters such as Roodt and Khoza, however, the political promises ultimately come down to whether they translate into tangible improvements in their daily lives.