 The ANC's support in the province was on the wane, while the DA had performed well in by-elections in the province leading up to the poll.The party projected that it would govern in the Western Cape province — a task made easier by the ANC-COPE split — though it expected to need to form a governing coalition in order to do so.The party anticipated that it would take control of several other major cities and towns in the 2011 local elections, and, with what it termed a "realignment of SA politics", predicted it would take its "winning streak" into the 2014 elections, when it plans to challenge for the mantle of ruling party.