Celani Sikhakhane
The ANC only just managed to keep their support in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal but with decreased numbers – and now they are facing unceremonious removal in their Gauteng and Northern Cape strongholds.
This comes after the by-elections that were held on Wednesday where the party lost support to the DA in Mpumalanga and the EFF in KZN.
The numbers released by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) show that in Ward 29 in Rand West City and Ward 53 in Protea Glen, Soweto, the party has lost its support completely.
The IEC has not yet released the official numbers but the preliminary numbers show that in three of the wards they held previously, the party has managed to retain them with a decreased margin.
The EFF obtained 55% in Rand West City, a 30% increase from its support in the municipal elections. The ANC managed 40% – a decline of 20% from last year.
In the Northern Cape town of Kareeberg, the DA won Ward 4 from the ANC. The voter turnout was 72%, which is unusually high for a by-election. The DA saw its support grow from 13.35% in 2021 to 42.77%.
In KZN the ANC managed to win Ward 13 in Umvoti Local Municipality which was previously won by the Abantu Batho Congress, a party that was formed by its former regional chair Philani PG Mavundla.
The region has just held its regional elective congress.
The congresses of the ANC have seen the organisation suffering from serious divisions which led to the loss of many municipalities including Nquthu, uMvoti, Ndumeni, Newcastle, UMhlathuze, King Cetshwayo, Amajuba and they almost lost the eThekwini Metro.
In JS Moroka in Mpumalanga, they managed to keep their support base, with the party retaining Ward 10.
MP and DA spokesperson Cilliers Brink said that their win in Northern Cape shows that people are starting to see the DA as their only hope.
“With a convincing 72% turnout, the smaller parties virtually faded away while the ANC remained stagnant. Voters united behind the DA and chose not to split the vote,” said Brink.
Image source: @DailyMaverick
