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Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) premiered the first of its television advertisements for Election 2024, which will bolster the party’s election campaign with an exciting broadcast ad that will reach voters across South Africa on a number of popular television stations. The full advertisement can be viewed here

The message of our first TV election ad is simple: it reminds South Africans of the power of their vote, and the responsibility to use that power to bring about the change millions of our citizens so desperately want. In this election, the DA is poised to Rescue South Africa, but many people forget the provinces and municipalities we have already rescued, often securing a majority or a new coalition government with the tiniest of margins.

This is a journey we have already travelled with millions of South African voters who have put the power of their vote to tremendously good use by placing their trust in the DA. This journey bears testament to the power of the citizens’ vote, down to the very last ballot paper cast.

While the DA has a history of good, clean, accountable governance in South Africa, many people forget the story of how the party grew, advanced, and slowly won governments over the past two decades. In 2006, the DA won the City of Cape Town with just 1 vote. And in 2021, the DA won uMngeni with just 44 votes.

Both of these municipalities are now shining examples of governance excellence in South Africa, alongside the likes of DA-run Midvaal in Gauteng, and DA-run Kouga in the Eastern Cape – both the best-run municipalities in their respective provinces. Last year’s Rugby World Cup, where the Springboks achieved a record victory for South Africa, the difference between winning and losing came down to just 1 point.

The lesson that we have learned, and the message that we are bringing to South Africans in our first election advertisement is thus very simple: your vote counts. South Africans who are fed up with the state of our country under the ANC should not let their despair make them believe that their vote has lost power. If anything, now more than ever, our votes are the single most powerful tool we have to Rescue South Africa.

Even by the smallest of margins, even down to the final point, when the time is up and the votes are tallied, our chance for change comes down to the very last point. Your vote could mean the difference between an ANC-MK-EFF Doomsday Coalition, or a coalition of hope with the DA as its strong anchor tenant. Change is possible, but we have to take up our democratic right and exercise our power to go out and vote for it. And it will come down to the very last vote.

There is so much for South Africans to be excited about as we take to the polls on the 29thof May. As the ANC loses its majority for the first time in 30 years, the opportunity for a new government of hope and change is finally within sight. Where the DA has won governments and changed the lives of residents for the better, our outright majorities and coalitions of hope have all come down to just a few votes. So in this election, the stakes are far too high for any South African to stay home, and citizens must remember that every single vote will count.

Issued by John Steenhuisen MP - Leader of the Democratic Alliance