The uMkhonto Wesizwe party saw its second ward councillor elected as it turned the tables on the ANC and the EFF in Rustenburg, North West. The DA had a barnstorming night in Gauteng and the Western Cape, winning a Citrusdal ward off the ANC, but the party lost an important eThekwini seat to an independent candidate.
North West
Bojanala District
All the North West by-elections took place in this district, the platinum belt of the province and its most populous district.
Ward 45 (Photsaneng Marikana) Rustenburg: MK 43% ANC 33% (44% PR) EFF 24% (35% PR)
The setting: Ward 45 is east of the town of Rustenburg, close to the Madibeng municipal border. It includes the villages of Photsaneng and Thekwane. It also includes part of Marikana near the Lonmin Karee Mine. Marikana straddles Rustenburg and Madibeng. Rustenburg is the most-populous municipality in North West.
The 2021 local government elections: The ANC beat the EFF by 184 votes on the ward ballot. An independent candidate scraped votes away from both the ANC and the EFF. It was slightly closer on the PR ballot where the ANC beat the EFF by 172 votes. The ANC had easy carries in Photsaneng and Thekwane, while EFF won the Marikana voting district. The EFF’s margin of victory in Marikana was not large enough to close the gap between it and the ANC.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC won just over half of the support in the ward, up 6% points from 2019. The EFF were the most popular party in the ward in 2019, but they fell sharply from 44% to 26% in the recent elections. The EFF lost support to both the ANC and the MK party. MK won 13% of the vote.
The by-election: The ward councillor, Poppy Morapedi, was murdered while walking home with a cousin. The ANC, EFF and MK were on the ballot.
The MK Party produced a sensational upset to win the ward by 258 votes. The village of Thekwane looms large in the MK victory. It was the only one of the three voting districts carried by MK. 47% of Thekwane registered voters showed up, compared with 41% of Photsaneng’s registered voters and 30% of the registered voters in Marikana.
MK won 70% of the vote in Thekwane, with the ANC falling from 56% to 21% and the EFF from 17% to 9%.
The ANC carried the most-populous voting district of Photsaneng with 39%, down from 47% in 2021. The EFF surged here from 13 to 32% for a solid second place in the district. MK was third with 29%.
The ANC also won in Marikana with 39%, up from 25% in 2021. The EFF crashed from 63% to 31% to finish second, just ahead of MK which obtained 30% support.
Despite MK finishing last in two of the three voting districts, its 408-vote margin in Thekwane was enough to see it home.
The seat loss for the ANC means it might need to co-opt another smaller party to ensure continued control of Rustenburg or work on a new deal with a larger party to get to the magical number of 46 in the 90-seat council.
New council composition: ANC 42 (43) EFF 17 DA 13 Tsogang Civic Movement 7 Freedom Front Plus (FF+) 3 MK 1 ARONA 1 Africa Independent Congress (AIC) 1 Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) 1 African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) 1 United Democratic Movement (UDM) 1 Botho Civic Movement (BCM) 1 Independent 1. Total: 90.
Poll: 39% (35%)
Ward 26 (Mogogelo Ratjiepan) Moretele: ANC 58% (58% PR) MK 25% EFF 17% (27% PR)
The setting: Ward 26 is a stone throw away from the Gauteng border. It is also close to the Limpopo border. The ward has two main villages Mogolelo and Ratsiepane. Mogogelo sits between a part of Soshanguve and Reefentse in Gauteng, while Ratsiepane is in line with Soshanguve. Ratsiepane sits just above the Tswaing Crater in Gauteng.
Moretele formed part of the former Bophuthatswana homeland during apartheid. Setswana is the most widely spoken language in the municipality. The seat of power is in Makapanstad.
The 2021 local government elections: An independent candidate hurt the ANC on the ward ballot, collecting 21% of the vote. This saw the ANC only get 43% here. The EFF came second with 27%.
The ANC won 58% of the PR ballot, with the EFF replicating its ward haul of 27%.
The ANC won 35 of the 52 seats for a comprehensive win in Moretele. It did, however, lose three. The EFF remained the official opposition with nine seats, up one from its 2016 total. The DA lost half of its seats, finishing on two. Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) won two seats, with a few other parties winning a single seat each.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC won 68% of the provincial vote here, down five percentage points from 2019. The EFF came second with 21%, slightly up from 19% in 2019. MK finished behind the DA and ActionSA with 1%.
The by-election: The ward councillor passed away. The ANC, EFF and MK threw their names in the hat.
The ANC won all six voting districts and replicated its 2021 showing. MK had a strong showing here to beat the EFF for second place. It was a far superior performance for MK compared with the May election. The party won more than 30% support in half of the voting districts and received 185 more votes than the EFF. The EFF lost ground in this by-election and was only able to get more than 20% in one-third of the voting districts. It is clear that in this by-election, a solid chunk of EFF voters broke for the MK Party.
Poll: 47% (46%)
Ward 17 (Mmakau) Madibeng: ANC 74% (61%) EFF 26% (17%)
The setting: Mmakau sits between Rosslyn in Pretoria and Brits, just off the R566 regional road. It is next to the Gauteng border, right by the Pretoria township of Ga-Rankuwa. It is the base of the Bakgatla ba Mmakau tribal authority.
The 2021 local government elections: The ANC won by a large majority, with the EFF coming second and the local Save Madibeng third with 11%.
The ANC retained its outright majority in Madibeng. It lost two seats to finish on 44 in the 82-seat chamber. The support it lost went mainly to Save Madibeng which obtained three. The EFF became the official opposition as it matched its 14-seat haul from 2016. The DA lost three seats to finish on 12. The FF+ was the main beneficiary here as it grew from two seats to four.
The 2024 provincial elections: Both the ANC and the EFF declined here with the ANC falling from 70% to 65% and the EFF dropping from 19% to 18%. The DA finished third again on the provincial ballot in the ward but also declined from 7% to 6%. There was fragmentation of the vote as ActionSA won 3% and MK 2%.
The by-election: Councillor Raymond Moraile was elected as regional secretary of the ANC in the powerful Bojanala region. He tendered his resignation as this was a full-time position. The ANC and the EFF were the only parties on the ballot.
Due to only two parties being on the ballot, both contestants had the opportunity to grow, and they did. The ANC came close to winning three-quarters of the vote, taking more than 75% in three of the five voting districts. The EFF had its best showing at the Church of God International House of Solutions voting district where it won 38%.
Poll: 28% (39%)
Ward 30 (Hartbeespoortdam Ifafi): DA 56% (65%) ANC 41% (16%) MK 3%
The setting: This ward sits on the North West tourist town of Hartbeespoortdam. It includes numerous suburbs which sit on the water. These include Ifafi, Meerhof, Sunway and parts of Schoemansville. The voting station with the most registered voters is the Kremetart Bistro.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA won here by a landslide. The ANC beat the FF+ to second place, with the FF+ getting 9%.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 53% of the vote in the ward, up 4% points. The ANC in contrast declined by 4% points getting 20% support, compared to 24% in 2019. The FF+ declined from 16% to 9%, while the EFF remained steady on 8%.
The by-election: The ward councillor resigned. The DA, ANC and MK contested this race.
The DA beat the ANC by 365 votes, but the ANC will be very satisfied with its strong showing. While the DA won more than 90% of the vote in its three strongholds, including 98% at KremeTart Bistro, the turnout in its strongholds was very poor compared with the ANC’s in its Sunway stronghold. The turnout in the DA strongholds ranged from 12% to 28%, while at Sunway it was 46%.
The ANC won an impressive 89% of the vote at Sunway, with MK pipping the DA for second place there.
Poll: 31% (47%)
Western Cape
There was a vicious late-winter cold snap in the province for the by-elections, which would have affected the turnout.
Ward 2 (Citrusdal) Cederberg, West Coast: DA 41% (16%) ANC 39% (44%) PA 20% (3%)
The setting: Citrusdal is just off the N7 national road which links Cape Town with Clanwilliam. The town sits between the Cederberg mountains and the Olifants River. It is a hub for citrus farming and rooibos tea.
Other towns in Cederberg include Lambert’s Bay, Elands Bay and Clanwilliam.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won the ward by 423 votes beating the local Cederberg Eerste (CE) party which won an impressive 29% of the vote. The DA finished a distant third. The ANC did best in the north of the town and on the farms north and northwest of the town. The CE and DA did best in the town centre of Citrusdal.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC pipped the DA, getting 37% of the vote in the ward, compared with the DA’s 35%. The PA made big strides, winning 22% of the vote. CE was not on the provincial ballot. The ANC and the PA did best in the north of the town and on the farms surrounding the town, while the DA won by a large margin in the town of Citrusdal.
The by-election: The ward councillor, Francois Kamfer, was elected to the Western Cape legislature. The ANC, DA and PA were joined by ARA on the ballot. A notable omission was the second-most-popular party in 2021, the CE.
The DA beat the ANC by 44 votes in a very close by-election. Despite the ANC turning out its voters at the Apostoliese Herlewing Sentrum north of the town centre, it was not enough to hold onto the ward. The turnout was 59% in this district, with the ANC getting 54% of the vote, slightly down from 55% in 2021. The DA grew from 13% to 26% while the PA won an impressive 21%, well up from the 3% it received in 2021. The CE won 21% here in 2021.
The ANC will identify the Vicki Zimri Multipurpose Centre as where the ward was lost. The turnout here was only 42%. The party also fell from 63% to 42%, while the DA jumped from 13% to 30% and the PA from 7% to 28%. The PA hurt the ANC in rural parts of the Western Cape in the May election. It cut the ANC down in this voting district in the by-election. This is where the CE was weakest in 2021, only garnering 12%.
The DA won close on 90% of the vote in the Citrusdal town centre, well up from the 23% it won in 2021. In that election, 54% of voters made their mark next to the CE. The ANC fell by a percentage point here. The turnout was 42% in this district.
The ANC has now lost its second seat in Cederberg in 2024. The DA is now the second-largest party in Cederberg. CE 4 DA 3 (2) ANC 2 (3) FF+ 1 PA 1. Total: 11. The governing coalition is even more secure now.
Poll: 46% (55%)
Ward 58 (Rondebosch Kenilworth), Cape Town: DA 98% (84%) ANC 1% (3%) ARA <1% (<1%)
The setting: Ward 58 is in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. It also includes parts of Claremont and Rosebank and a chunk of Wynberg.
The 2021 local government election: The DA won here by a significant landslide in 2021. GOOD came second with 5% of the vote.
The 2024 provincial election: The DA won 80% of the vote, with the ANC coming second with 4%. Rise Mzansi pipped the EFF for third place with both parties getting 3%.
The by-election: Ward councillor Katherine Christie went to Parliament after the elections. The ANC and the ARA were competing for second place.
The DA’s main competition in this by-election was the weather. The DA’s weakest return was the 97% it collected at the First Wetton Scout Hall in Wynberg. The DA won 491 of the 493 valid votes at the Rosmead Central Primary School district in Kenilworth. The ANC put some distance between it and the ARA for second place.
Poll: 19% (58%)
Ward 17 (Welgevonden Estate Cloetesville) Stellenbosch, Cape Winelands: DA 96% (75%) ANC 3% (2%) MK 1% ARA 0 (<1%)
The setting: Ward 17 sits north of the Stellenbosch town centre. It is sandwiched between the R44 road, which links Stellenbosch with Klapmuts, and the R304 which links the main town with Swartland.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA won here with a very big majority. GOOD came second with 11%. It was the only other party to get into double percentage figures.
The DA won 28 of the 45 seats. The party lost two seats, with GOOD taking the bulk of that DA support. The ANC remained steady on eight seats, with GOOD winning three. The EFF won two and a raft of other parties obtained a single seat each.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 81% of the vote and was down a single percentage point. The Patriotic Alliance (PA) came second with 7% after barely registering here in 2019. The ANC declined from 5% to 2%, while GOOD fell from 5% to 1%.
The by-election: The ward councillor was elected to Parliament. The DA fielded the current deputy mayor, Jeremy Fasser, as its candidate. The ANC, MK and African Restoration Alliance (ARA) were also on the ballot.
It was one-way traffic in this by-election, with the DA winning almost 100% of the vote at Welgevonden Estate, and 93% in Cloetesville. At Welgevonden Estate the party won 467 of the 468 votes.
The ARA candidate did not vote for himself and the party received zero votes.
Poll: 19% (56%)
KwaZulu-Natal
Ward 34 (Greenwood Park Sea Cow Lake), eThekwini: Ind-Akkers 43% MK 19% ANC 18% (27%) DA 15%(39%) AMC 4%
The setting: Ward 34 is west of Durban North and Athlone. It includes Effingham, Avoca, Greenwood Park, Kenville and Sea Cow Lake and New Dawn Park.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA beat the ANC by 846 votes here. The IFP came third with 13%, registering respectable support in all parts of the ward, while the EFF was fourth with 8%, being heavily reliant on Sea Cow Lake. The DA won five of the six voting districts. It won the Effingham, Greenwood Park and Avoca districts. Sea Cow Lake was more difficult terrain for the party. This is the most-populous district in the ward and it was carried by the ANC, with the EFF finishing second.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA came first with 47% of the vote, again carrying five of the six districts. MK shot to second place with 26%, the ANC came third with 12% while the IFP received 5% and the EFF 2%.
The by-election: The ward councillor resigned for personal reasons. The IFP and EFF sat out the by-election. This would be the MK’s first by-election in eThekwini. Ratepayers leader and community activist Andrew Akkers was also in the race.
Akkers caused a major shock by beating the MK Party by 1,124 votes. MK’s second-place finish was also a very notable result. Akkers won four of the six voting districts, carrying four of the five districts won by the DA in 2021. Akkers won 76% in Effingham at Effingham Heights Primary School, where the DA dropped from 62% to 21%. Akkers won 66% at Greenwood Park Primary School, while the DA sank from 51% to 10% and the EFF receded from 21% to 8%.
Akkers hurt the DA significantly in five of the six voting districts. The DA only grew in one voting district, the ANC stronghold of Sea Cow Lake Secondary School.
MK sent a message to the ANC with its impressive second-place finish. It pipped the ANC at Sea Cow Lake Secondary School with a 39% haul. The ANC fell from 57% to 38%. MK beat the ANC in four of the six districts.
The ANC will be satisfied with taking the Kenville Primary School district. The party matched its 30% return from 2021. MK came second with 28% while the DA slid from 37% to 22%. Akkers won 11%. This is a part of the ward where his ratepayers’ association leadership would not have been a factor.
The DA will hope that its poor fourth-place finish has more to do with hyper local factors than a sudden turn away from the party in a ward where it did well in the national election.
Poll: 26% (42%)
Gauteng
Ward 92 (Arcadia Hatfield), Tshwane: DA 59% (34%) ANC 17% (25%) EFF 19% (17%) MK 4% OHM <1% (<1%) Bolsheviks <1% (0%)
The setting: Ward 92 is in central Pretoria. It includes one of the most famous voting stations in the country, the gardens below the Union Buildings. Loftus Versfeld and the Pretoria Arts Museum are well-known sites in the ward. Hotel 224, a Pretoria landmark, is also a voting station. Bryntirion Golf Course is another sporting facility in the ward.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA beat the ANC by 374 votes and the EFF by 696. ActionSA was fourth with 16%. The turnout was very low in the ward, especially in Arcadia but also in one of the two Hatfield voting stations.
The ANC won three of the four Arcadia voting districts, while the DA won the remaining Arcadia district and both Hatfield districts. The DA carried both Hatfield voting districts by a wide margin. The turnout was also marginally higher in the more populous Hatfield district.
The turnout was only 25% at the most populous voting district in the ward, in the gardens of the Union Buildings. This district was carried by the ANC, but the low turnout hurt the party.
The 2024 provincial elections: The EFF was the most popular party in the ward, winning 31% of the vote. It was the most popular party in all Arcadia voting districts, thus beating the ANC in all three voting districts carried by the ANC in 2021 and the DA at Arcadia Primary. The DA won the two Hatfield districts again, coming in second with 24%. The ANC was third on 22% and MK fourth with 6%. ActionSA came fifth with 5%.
The by-election: The ward councillor was elected to the provincial legislature. The EFF wanted to turn a blue DA ward into red, while the EFF and MK were also hoping to hurt the DA in this marginal seat.
The DA had a big victory in a very low-turnout by-election. The party did best in the three voting districts with the highest turnout on election day. Only one of the six districts had more than 20% turnout. This was in Hatfield. Here the DA won 92%. It not only retained the marginal ward but increased its percentage vote majority.
At Hatfield Emergency Services the DA won 87%. The turnout was second-highest for the day here.
While the EFF will be happy that it bested the ANC and MK for second place, and that it carried two districts, it will be frustrated by the low Arcadia turnout. Only 8% of the voters turned out at Pretoria Technical School, and turnout was 9% at the famous Hotel 224.
The Bolsheviks might have finished last but at least they improved from nil votes to less than 1% support.
Poll: 12% (32%)
Ward 87 (Greenside Parkview), Johannesburg: DA 83% (71%) Rise Mzansi 10% EFF 4% (4%) ANC 3% (9%)
The setting: Ward 87 is vast and includes the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Emmarentia Dam, as well as the towering buildings of the South African Broadcasting Corporation and the student housing in Auckland Park, the bars of Melville, the tree-lined suburbs of Westcliff, Parktown and Forest Town, Pirates Sports Club and Tyrone Avenue in Parkview.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA won by a landslide, but it was hurt by ActionSA which won 10% of the vote to finish second, followed by the ANC and the EFF in a distant fourth.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA only won 50% of the vote. The EFF was the surprise second-place finisher with 13%, doing well among student voters in the Auckland Park and Richmond areas. The ANC came third with 11% and Rise Mzansi fourth with 9%. This was its best ward performance in the election. ActionSA finished fifth with 5%.
The by-election: The ward councillor resigned because of a job opportunity in the private sector. The DA was joined on the ballot by Rise Mzansi, the ANC and the EFF.
The DA won this by-election by a landslide. While some 2021 ActionSA voters would have voted for Rise Mzansi, a similar number would have turned to the DA. The DA won more than 80% of the vote in four of the five voting districts. The DA did best at Helen Suzman’s alma mater, the Holy Family College (formerly the Parktown Convent) in Parktown, where it won 92%.
Rise Mzansi won 13% at Greenside Primary School in Greenside and 11% at Parktown High School for Girls in Parkview.
The EFF won 20% at Hope Church in Auckland Park, but the students did not show up for the by-election. Turnout here was only 10%.
The ANC finished last. The party will hope that the poor showing was because it is more focused on a crucial Lenasia by-election on 11 September.
Poll: 20% (49%)
Ward 89 (Weltevreden Park Constantia Kloof) Johannesburg: DA 96% (69%) ANC 2% (5%) MK 1% OHM 1%
The setting: Ward 89 is in the northwest and western part of the city, primarily in the Roodepoort area. It includes Laerskool Fairland, which helped produce our gold medal-winning Olympian Tatjana Smith. The ward also includes parts of Northcliff.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA was just shy of the 70% mark here, and won the ward comfortably. However, ActionSA ate into its support and was the only other party to get into double percentage figures with 12%.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 66% of the vote, down on the 2021 mark. The ANC came second with 7% while ActionSA was third with 6%.
The by-election: The ward councillor, a former member of the mayoral committee in Johannesburg, Leah Knott, was elected to Parliament. The uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party and the Organic Humanity Movement (OHM) were on the ballot.
The DA’s poorest return in this by-election was 94.83% at CCH Pre-School in Weltevreden Park. It was a dominant performance by the party which was never seriously challenged. It did best at Tatjana Smith’s alma mater, Laerskool Fairland, winning 97.81%.
Poll: 17% (49%)
Mpumalanga
Ward 10 (Eastdene Hlalamnandi) Steve Tshwete, Nkangala: ANC 52% (39%) MK 20% MHRF 17% (19%) EFF 11% (17%)
The setting: Ward 10 is in the eastern part of the Middelburg town centre. Eastdene is historically where the Indian community resided during apartheid. Ward 10 is where big motor dealerships are based. It is right by the industrial part of the town. Hlalamnandi is a township southeast of Eastdene. The ward includes part of the Middelburgdam.
The area is known for its stainless steel, coal and farming. It forms part of the Nkangala District.
The 2021 local government elections: The ANC won less than 40% of the vote but still finished well ahead of the chasing pack. The real contest was for second place, with the DA getting 21%. The local Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front (MHRF) was third with 19% while the EFF came fourth with 17%.
The ANC lost significant ground in Steve Tshwete in 2021. The party lost 11 seats, falling from 32 seats to 21. The MHRF hurt the ANC with its seven-seat haul. The DA came second with 17. The EFF too dented the ANC as it grew from seven seats to nine. The FF+ grew from two seats to three and an independent won one ward in the 58-seat council.
The ANC runs a minority government with the support of an independent councillor. Together they have 22 of the 58 seats. It is eight seats short of a majority.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC won here with 41% of the vote. The DA finished second with 19%, just ahead of the EFF on 18% and the MK with 13%.
The by-election: The councillor passed away after a long illness. The DA sat out this by-election, with the MHRF hoping to win over much of the DA support in Eastdene.
The ANC had a very good result here. Despite MK crashing the party to finish second in this by-election, the ANC increased its percentage vote share in Hlalamnandi from 56% to 58%. It also grew from 20% to 31% in Eastdene.
MK finished second in the ward by winning a quarter of the vote in Hlalamnandi.
The MHRF would have wanted to do much better. Voters in Eastdene did not show up. This means the MHRF was unable to attract DA voters. Turnout was only 18% in Eastdene, compared to 39% in Hlalamnandi.
The EFF fell from 26% to 14% in Hlalamnandi. The EFF will be concerned by its showing in this by-election.
Poll: 30% (37%)
Ward 17 (Mangweni) Nkomazi, Ehlanzeni: ANC 81% (87% PR) MK 16% EFF 3% (7% PR) IFP <1%
The setting: Mangweni is a village in the corner of Mpumalanga near the southeastern corner of Mpumalanga, which borders Eswatini and Mozambique. Mangweni sits between the Komati River and the R571 regional which links Komatipoort with the Mananga border post on the Eswatini border.
Nkomazi borders the Kruger National Park, Eswatini and Mozambique. Its seat of power is Malelane. It forms part of Ehlanzeni, the ANC’s most secure district in Mpumalanga.
The 2021 local government elections: The ANC won less than two-thirds of the ward vote because of an independent candidate getting 26%. On the proportional representation (PR) ballot, it was a different story. The ANC won 87%, with the EFF finishing in second place on 80%.
Nkomazi was the second-safest municipality for the ANC in Mpumalanga in 2021. The ANC was just shy of the 70% mark on the ward ballot, while obtaining more than 75%on the proportional (PR) ballot. Independent candidates getting close to 10% of the ward vote was a chief contributor to this not being the best municipality for the ANC in Mpumalanga.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC was far ahead of the chasing pack, but it did decline by 18%, falling from 89% to 71% in the ward. MK beat the EFF for second place with 13%, while the EFF came third with 12%, up from the 8% it obtained in 2019.
The by-election: The ward councillor Thabo Ngwenya was murdered in his home during a house robbery. His wife was also assaulted. The ANC, MK and the EFF were on the ballot.
The ANC’s might fell slightly in this by-election, but was still dominant, winning four of every five votes. The party won more than 83% in four of six voting districts, and more than 70% in all districts.
MK beat the EFF in every voting district. It also made a slight improvement on its percentage vote share from the recent national elections. The EFF’s support is well down from 2021 and the recent elections.
Poll: 47% (47%)
Free State
Ward 7 (Tumahole Mbeki), Ngwathe in Fezile Dabi: ANC 64% (56%) ACT 31% EFF 5% (13%)
The setting: The bulk of the voters in the ward are in Tumahole, the largest township in the town of Parys, which is the seat of power in Ngwathe. It is also the township Ace Magashule hails from. There are a few rural farming voting districts east of Tumahole in this ward. Ngwathe forms part of the Fezile Dabi district which includes the towns of Kroonstad and Sasolburg.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won by a wide margin, with the DA finishing second and the EFF third. The DA won the bulk of its support in the more rural voting districts.
The 2024 provincial elections: The ANC won less than half of the vote in the ward (44%). The DA finished second with 19% while Ace Magashule’s African Congress for Transformation (ACT) was third with 16% and the EFF fourth with 9%. The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) finished in fifth place with 4%.
The ANC won 49% in Ngwathe, down from 62%. The DA grew from 17% to 20% to finish second, while the ACT was third with 11%. The EFF finished fourth with 10%, the same as 2019. The FF+ was fifth with 5%, down from 7% in 2019.
The by-election: The ward councillor passed away from flu. The ANC, ACT and EFF were on the ballot. The DA sat out the by-election.
The ANC won comfortably here. This was an important by-election win for the Free State ANC as it lost a safe seat to the EFF in the town of Clocolan in August. The party beat ACT by a margin greater than two votes to one, while the EFF finished a distant third. The ANC won six of the seven voting districts, with the ACT carrying a rural, sparsely populated district.
The turnout was considerably higher in Tumahole than it was in the rural parts of the ward. DA voters stayed away from this by-election.
Ace Magashule will be happy that his party beat the EFF in every voting district, but he will also know that he has a lot of work to do to beat the MK equivalent of the Fezile Dabi region of the Free State. ACT’s showing will give the ANC some pause for thought, but unlike KZN where MK hurt the ANC and the EFF, here the ACT seemed to only damage the EFF.
Poll: 38% (42%)
The next round of by-elections will be on 11 September. There will be five in the Free State, three in Gauteng, nine in KwaZulu-Natal, one in Limpopo and five in North West. Seven of them will be interesting contests to watch, including a by-election in Lenasia, near Johannesburg, and key races in the Ray Nkonyeni municipality on the South Coast of KZN and in Mpofana in the uMgungundlovu District, also in KZN. DM
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