‘The DA is not in ICU’: Party fires back at Gayton McKenzie’s bold claim

South African politics rarely lacks drama and this week was no exception.

After a string of by-election victories, Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie declared that the Democratic Alliance (DA) was “in ICU.”

The DA, unsurprisingly, disagrees.

McKenzie’s victory lap

Speaking on the sidelines of the State of the Nation Address (SONA), McKenzie celebrated his party’s recent gains, particularly in the Western Cape.

The PA has secured five by-elections in the George Local Municipality in the Garden Route this year, including three wards previously regarded as DA strongholds. The party also claimed additional ward victories in recent weeks, strengthening its presence in areas long dominated by the DA.

McKenzie didn’t mince words. He described the PA as the fastest-growing political party in the country and suggested the DA’s dominance in the Western Cape was nearing its end.

His party’s spokesperson, Steve Motale, doubled down days later, saying the PA would intensify its focus on municipalities such as George, Saldanha, Drakenstein and eventually the City of Cape Town.

On social media, PA supporters amplified the “DA in ICU” phrase, turning it into a trending political jab.

DA: “We’re alive and well”

But DA Federal Chairperson Dr Ivan Meyer is not buying the narrative.

Fresh from the party’s Mpumalanga Provincial Congress, Meyer hit back, saying the DA remains competitive and continues to win wards including two recent victories from the ANC in Mpumalanga.

He acknowledged that the party had lost two wards but emphasised that it had also won two in return. For Meyer, that hardly signals a party on life support.

In fact, he flipped the metaphor.

“If there’s one organisation that is in ICU,” he argued, “it’s the ANC.”

Service delivery as the battleground

At the heart of the dispute is a familiar theme in South African politics: service delivery.

Meyer pointed to independent assessments by Statistics South Africa, the Auditor-General and Ratings Africa, which he says confirm that DA-run municipalities perform best on access to water, sanitation, refuse collection and electricity.

He also referenced remarks by Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledging service delivery in DA-governed areas.

The DA’s strategy heading into the local government elections is clear: campaign on governance and basic services.

Meyer said the party’s mission is to “rescue towns,” particularly in rural areas where poverty runs deep and infrastructure is visibly deteriorating.

He cited water shortages in places like Johannesburg and towns in Mpumalanga as examples of governance failures elsewhere.

In contrast, he highlighted the Western Cape’s access to water, refuse removal and electricity as proof of DA management.

A shifting Western Cape?

The Western Cape has long been the DA’s political heartland. But the rise of the Patriotic Alliance in municipalities like George suggests that political loyalties are not immovable.

The PA’s recent gains reflect a broader national trend: voters are increasingly willing to test alternatives. Smaller parties are carving out space in coalition politics, particularly in metros and competitive provinces.

The ICU metaphor may be exaggerated, but it captures something real the intensity of competition ahead of the elections.

The bigger picture

South African voters are less concerned with political metaphors and more concerned with daily realities: water in the taps, electricity in the evenings, refuse collected on time.

The battle between the DA and PA in the Western Cape is more than rhetoric. It’s about who can convince communities that they offer stability, delivery and a credible plan.

Meyer says the DA will soon roll out more mayoral candidates, particularly targeting rural areas from March onward.

McKenzie, meanwhile, appears intent on keeping up the pressure and the punchy one-liners.

Whether the DA is in ICU or simply facing stiffer competition will ultimately be decided not on social media, but at the ballot box.

For now, the political temperature in the Western Cape and beyond is rising.