The Democratic Alliance (DA) faces a big challenge in making the transition from opposition to governance‚ a political commentator said on Monday.

This comes after the DA thrust its way into a position of power in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro and could also be on the driving seat in Tshwane‚ Ekurhuleni and the City of Joburg.

The tone of the EFF towards the ANC appears to have ruled out a coalition between the two parties‚ unless the ANC do the unexpected and recall President Jacob Zuma. This places the the DA in in a strong position in five metros‚ including the City of Cape Town which they won outright.

But that doesn’t mean it’ll be all plain sailing for the party‚ warned political analyst Elvis Masoga.

He said the changing political landscape would be a stern test.

“Conditions in the City of Cape Town are totally different to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and in Gauteng’s three metros. The majority of City of Cape Town residents were advantaged‚ unlike a majority in Nelson Mandela and Gauteng who were previously disadvantaged.

“There were few challenges the DA had to grapple with when it inherited the City of Cape Town. The real challenge will be how the DA performs in Nelson Mandela and in Gauteng metros where most residents live in conditions that are terrible‚” said Masoga.

But Mabine Seabe‚ the spokesman‚ for the DA leader Mmusi Maimane‚ said the party had prepared itself for the ultimate take over of power.

“The DA engages in continuous training of our public representatives so that they have necessary skills and understanding of our vision for government‚” Seabe said.

“We have an extensive amount of best practise to share‚ as a result of our successful in governance in a number of municipalities throughout the country.

“This is how the DA is able to differentiate ourselves in government‚ and ensure that we are able to provide the best service delivery possible.”

Seabe said the party provided a range of material to their public representatives in order for them to fully understand the legal‚ operational and broader context in which governments operate.

“We have held training sessions in a number of different cities. We are able to draw on a range of experts‚ who have proven track records of excellent service delivery in government.

“DA governments are citizen orientated‚ with our only focus being on ensuring that we are able to provide the best possible level of service to all residents.”

Seabe said there were no basis for officials to fear that they would be purged under a DA-controlled administration.

“Part of ensuring good governance is to make sure that we have people with right skills and commitment to delivering to the people. This will be our only criteria‚ and no official has anything to worry about as long as they put the needs of residents first.”