The party experienced a decline in support between the 2014 and 2019 elections, losing approximately 470,000 votes nationally and 391,000 votes provincially. This resulted in a 1.46 percentage point decrease from 2014, leading to a reduction of five seats in the National Assembly.

The DA's biggest losses were in Gauteng and the Western Cape, with decreases of 197,000 and 163,000 votes nationally in Gauteng, and 134,000 and 119,000 votes in the Western Cape, respectively.

A deeper analysis reveals that most of the party's losses came from the eight metropolitan municipalities. While the DA gained 709,735 votes between 2009 and 2014 in these metros, it lost nearly 341,000 votes between 2014 and 2019. The top three losses in the metros were in Cape Town (122,000), Johannesburg (67,000), and Tshwane (56,000).

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Given that the DA is predominantly an urban, middle-class party, with 90% of its support from large metros and towns, the decline in these areas is concerning for the party's leadership.

The DA, as the largest opposition party, aims to defeat the ANC in the upcoming election, pledging to expand work programs and government handouts, while stabilising national debt.

They claim they can still topple the ANC despite the decline in support, and insist that Cape independence is against their values, and object to asking the Western Cape public whether they wish to secede.

The DA, led by John Steenhuisen, plans to form a coalition government with 11 opposition parties, excluding the ANC, uMkhonto weSizwe, and the Economic Freedom Fighters, as well as pro-Cape-independence party RP.

The party's manifesto includes scrapping race-based economic redress, investing in renewable energy, reducing violent crime, and lifting 6 million people out of poverty.