The Western Cape ANC's battle to topple the DA from power in the province has been made even harder following a glowing endorsement of the DA-led provincial government by the national assembly.

Outgoing Western Cape premier Helen Zille revealed on Wednesday that she had received a note of congratulations from national assembly speaker Baleka Mbete, praising the performance of her provincial government since the DA came into power 10 years ago.

The note is based on approval of a DA motion by a sitting of the assembly in February 2019.

It appeared to be one of those politically bizarre moments where the majority ANC in the house - which regularly blocks any DA attempts to tout its record that where it governs, it governs best - may have been caught napping. The motion outlining a fabulous track record of the DA in the Western Cape was passed without objection by the ANC or any other party.

In the letter dated March 4, Mbete told Zille: "On February 26 2019, the national assembly agreed to a motion noting that the Western Cape unemployment rate dropped to 19.3%, the lowest in SA, with its expanded unemployment rate 14 percentage points lower than the national average.

"The assembly acknowledged that since 2009, the Western Cape completed over 200,000 housing opportunities, and is on track to meet 100% of its targets by the end of the current term," she continued.