The growing case for an independent Western Cape

A few days ago, the results of a poll conducted in the Western Cape by Victory Research – one of South Africa’s most respected polling organisations – were released. They delivered quite a shock. Like recent Scottish opinion polls, they showed a small majority for independence among supporters of the Democratic Alliance (DA), now in its third straight term as the governing party of the Western Cape (South Africa’s other eight provinces are ruled by the ANC). The party will come under increasing pressure to hold a referendum on secession from the rest of South Africa.

According to the polling, around two-thirds of the Western Cape’s DA supporters also want a referendum on the issue, while almost three quarters of the Cape’s inhabitants, irrespective of political affiliation, think South Africa is going in the wrong direction and believe that ethnic minority groups (including coloureds and whites) are treated unfairly. It’s not hard to imagine that if there was widespread debate and an actual referendum there would be a clear majority for secession.