Mediamec Manenberg activist Yumna Alexander is seeking to challenge the DA through her own party in the November 4 local government elections, two years after contesting Ward 30 for the Patriotic Alliance.
Alexander, the founder and president of Hopeful Leaders Democrats and its Cape Town mayoral candidate, is campaigning on her community work and concerns about housing conditions, school dropouts and municipal services.
The DA retained Ward 30 in the November 20, 2024 by-election, but its share of the vote dropped to 42.60% from 60.60% in the 2021 municipal election. Electoral Commission figures show turnout also declined, from 44.12% to 34.55%.
The DA’s Deidrée Carol de Vos secured the seat with 2,459 votes. Mogamat Yusuf Hope of the National Coloured Congress received 1,212 votes, while Alexander finished third with 1,146 as the PA candidate.
The results suggest a tighter contest than in 2021, although they do not show how individual voters shifted their support or establish what will happen in the coming election.
Alexander says established parties have failed to improve conditions in Manenberg. She argues that her availability to residents and years of service offer a reason to support her new party.
Her work in adult education began before she entered party politics. In 2020, she established Hopeful Leaders Night School in Manenberg to help adults complete their Grade 12 qualifications. The programme later reached other communities, including in Gauteng.
Alexander’s own difficulties finding employment without matric helped shape the initiative.
She says her community work has continued without public funding or an official position. Although her party cannot afford an office, she maintains that regular contact with residents keeps her informed about their needs.
Housing maintenance is among the issues driving dissatisfaction. Flora Court resident Miela Lakay, 57, said she had lived there for more than 50 years and wanted improvements to residents’ homes.
Lakay praised Alexander’s assistance before she formed her party, but said she had seen no progress under the current ward councillor, including on painting the flats. Rubble and debris were also observed in several areas around the buildings during a reporting visit.
Alexander alleges that the DA has neglected the community and brings resources and food parcels during election campaigns. Those claims have not been independently established.
After winning the 2024 by-election, De Vos listed waste management and infrastructure maintenance among her immediate priorities. She also outlined plans to work with community organisations and law enforcement to address crime and other local concerns.
However, frustration with conditions does not necessarily mean residents will vote for a different party.
Several young people interviewed said they had little interest in voting and did not intend to participate because they had seen too little improvement in their neighbourhood.
Alexander hopes her longstanding community involvement will help win their support. She recalled arranging events for children who are now eligible to vote, some of whom had called for people to support her before she had considered a political career.
Their willingness to turn out, alongside residents’ expectations of better housing and services, remains a challenge for her campaign and the other parties contesting Manenberg.
