TULBAGH, Wednesday 28 October 2026 — Freedom Front Plus Tulbagh deputy chairperson Piet Boer has joined the Democratic Alliance (DA), alongside several other party members, in the latest local political shift in Witzenberg Municipality ahead of the 4 November elections.
The DA welcomed the new members on Wednesday, describing their move as part of its effort to consolidate support and secure an outright majority in the Western Cape municipality.
Boer joins DA with other members
DA Witzenberg constituency head Wendy Kaizer-Philander confirmed the arrival of Boer and other former Freedom Front Plus members.
The party said the new members would support its campaign in Tulbagh and the broader Witzenberg area.
Kaizer-Philander welcomed their decision and said the DA intended to strengthen its local organisation ahead of voting.
The exact number of members who joined alongside Boer was not specified.
Latest in series of local defections
The announcement follows another round of political defections in Witzenberg last week.
According to the DA, several members of the Freedom Front Plus and Patriotic Alliance had previously left their parties to join the DA.
The latest move suggests continued changes within local party structures during the final days of the municipal election campaign.
However, the announcement does not establish that Boer was a serving municipal councillor or that any council seat has changed hands.
DA seeks outright majority
Kaizer-Philander said the party wanted to move Witzenberg away from coalition arrangements that it believes could undermine stable municipal governance.
She argued that an outright DA majority would enable the municipality to focus on service delivery, economic growth and infrastructure without the complications of negotiating with smaller coalition partners.
Those are the DA’s stated political objectives rather than independently established outcomes of the defections.
Electoral implications remain uncertain
Witzenberg is among the Western Cape municipalities where parties are competing for influence over the composition of the next council.
Changes in local party membership may affect campaign organisation, voter mobilisation and relationships between political structures.
However, the electoral impact of the latest defections cannot be determined before voting.
No formal change to Witzenberg’s municipal administration or governing coalition was announced as part of Wednesday’s development.
The DA will seek to translate the new members’ support into votes on 4 November, while the Freedom Front Plus and other parties continue their own campaigns.
