At its core the DA’s proposition, ably interrogated by Ferial Haffajee with Mat Cuthbert, the party’s head of policy is simple: unlock growth through markets, cut red tape, deliver jobs; while also shifting from race-based preference to an outcomes-based scorecard of jobs, skills and poverty reduction. Add in good municipal service delivery and a tough line on graft, and you have a coherent package — albeit within a paradigm that has failed to deliver globally and barely dented the Gini coefficient — even in developed economies.
The intellectual lineage is clear: classical liberal economics meets social liberalism. In rejecting race-based entitlements while focusing on inclusion and measurable outcomes, the plan reflects both business-friendly thinking and a modest social-justice overlay. The jury, however, is out on the traction this approach has achieved, and whether it is capable of delivering — even the Scandinavian economies are straining under current challenges, despite a historically demonstrated resilience and an ability to adapt, with strong foundations in innovation, a high degree of social mobility, and effective governance — all of which we lack.
Herein lies the rub. In South Africa’s political terrain — for all the DA’s denialism — race still matters. For many of the country’s majority, redress is not just a technical matter of creating scorecards. It is a moral affirmation that history still shapes the present. When empowerment is repackaged purely as “needs based”, the message is often read as one in which history doesn’t count, and only the outcome matters.
In political terms that sounds like the legacy of the Struggle doesn’t matter. What it fails to grasp is — as always, in politics — perception matters more than the presentation of a version of economics as some kind of an elegant compromise. Perception is sculpted by the texture of daily life — in how people see the world forged in their lived experience, not in policy claims.
Delivery
Then there is delivery. People are not persuaded by frameworks; they are convinced by taps that run, by lights that stay on, by safe streets and by affordability. On these fronts the DA has some strength; its municipal brand and anti-graft narrative still speak — even if affordability remains elusive. But too often, the economic reform story remains abstract. And when parts of the party’s anti-corruption armour is open to question at high levels (the recent Environment Ministry reshuffle, for example), the rest of the story loses its credibility.
Finally, the DA’s electoral foundations produce a subtle but meaningful constraint. Its historic base — middle class, business friendly, racially diverse but disproportionately white, “coloured” and Indian urban voters, leans toward liberal, non-racial solutions that are wary of large-scale redistributive programmes. That orientation makes the party cautious: no heavy land reform promises, no radical affirmative procurement, no large public employment schemes.
These omissions speak loudly to voters yearning for speed, scale and visible transformation — hardly unreasonable after four score years and more of apartheid, followed by thirty-odd years of “freedom”. In effect, the party pictures a transformable economy… but a cautiously transformed society. That gap invites critique: change without reckoning, jobs without redistribution, opportunity without history. The lesson here is: you can’t fashion your political cake selectively and seek to eat it in every voter’s kitchen.
Growth and redress
What then? For the DA to win beyond its comfort zone it needs to speak the language of both growth and redress. The scorecard approach is defensible, but it must be framed explicitly as part of the country’s broader justice journey, not just as technical reform.
The short-term, tangible wins matter: apprenticeships, township tenders, improved services, cleared wards. But they must be seen and felt. And the party’s anti-corruption credentials must be rock solid with no glitches. Because in South Africa, governance credibility and delivery still tilt the balance more than the smartest economic blueprint.
In a time of impatience and disruption, the DA’s mix may be somewhat intellectually compelling. But unless the package is rendered politically meaningful, historically grounded and visibly equitable, the electoral dividend will remain modest.
Growth matters. Jobs matter. But so does justice — here and on the human rights and global solidarity stage. Warts and all, the ANC led-government’s tagline for the G20 Presidency hits the mark: Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability. Best the DA learns from this. DM