released by the Independent Electoral Commission made public on Tuesday, 26 March, Gwamanda is number three on the Al Jama-ah party list, behind fellow City of Johannesburg councillor Imraan Moosa .The final list of candidates is due to be released by IEC on 10 April, after the electoral body has dealt with objections and disqualifications.At the 2019 general elections, Al Jama-ah garnered 31,468 votes, a 0.
So it is not inconceivable that Al Jama-ah could leverage their newfound visibility to get more votes and possibly two extra seats in Parliament. This means after 29 May, Gwamanda could ditch the Johannesburg’s mayoral chains to become a backbencher in Cape Town. And Al Jama-ah could get an electoral boost, possibly at the expense of South Africa’s second-biggest political party: the Democratic Alliance .Verwoerd says with Western Cape being home to South Africa’s biggest Muslim population – 6.6% of the province’s total – other political parties, particularly Al Jama-ah, could take Muslim votes that could have gone to the DA. And as per , Muslims account for approximately 2% of South Africa’s population.
“That leaves opportunities for other parties; the ANC will probably get some votes, and Al Jama-ah might get some. And the other parties as well,” Verwoerd said., the DA could face further Muslim backlash, especially after the resignation of its former MP Ghaleb Cachalia in January 2024. Cachalia, the son of anti-Apartheid activists Amina and Yusuf Cachalia, served as the DA’s deputy shadow minister of trade and industry.has resigned as member of the Democratic Alliance and as an MP.