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Easy win for DA leaves ANC trailing in low-turnout Polokwane ward poll

Easy win for DA leaves ANC trailing in low-turnout Polokwane ward poll
Wayne Sussman
By Wayne Sussman
14 Nov 2024
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The DA easily retained Ward 39 in Polokwane, Limpopo, in a low-turnout by-election which was held because the former DA ward councillor took up a vacancy in the provincial legislature.

Ward 39 (Central North Welgelegen) Polokwane, Capricorn: DA 69% (49%) ANC 30% (20%) TRUTH <1% 


The setting: Ward 39 includes the northern part of the Polokwane city centre, Eduan Park, Extension 4 and Welgelegen. The further you move away from the city centre the stronger the DA is in the ward. The ANC draws on more support in the city centre.

Polokwane is the most populous municipality in Limpopo. It is also the provincial capital. 

The 2021 local government elections: The DA finished first in both voting districts in the ward. The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) edged the ANC for second place with 21% of the vote. It beat the ANC in the Welgelegen voting district, while the ANC finished ahead of the FF+ in Central North. The EFF came fourth here with 7% of the vote. 

Polokwane was a big tick for the ANC in the 2021 win column. The party not only matched its 2016 showing in 2021, but improved on it. It gained five seats and went from 57% to 60%. This growth was largely on the back of the EFF which lost six seats and saw its percentage vote share decline from 28% to 23%. The DA remained the third-most-popular party but slipped from 11% to 7%. The FF+ was fourth with 2%, up from one percentage point. 

The 2024 provincial elections: The DA came first with 45% of the vote in the ward, with the ANC emerging as runner-up with 25%. The EFF finished third on 12% and the FF+ slipped to fourth with 11%. 

The ANC won 60% of the vote in Polokwane, down from 63% in 2019. The EFF won 25%, the same as in 2019. The DA remained in third position with 8%, up one percentage point from 2019. ActionSA was fourth with 1%, just ahead of the FF+ which also won a single percent. 

The by-election: The FF+ and EFF sat out this by-election.

The DA beat the ANC by 478 votes for a comfortable win. Both parties benefited from the absence of other parties on the ballot. The DA won more than 80% of the vote in Welgelegen. There was a slight turnout differential in the party’s favour, with more voters showing up in Welgelegen than in the northern part of Polokwane Central. It was much closer in the central Polokwane voting district where the DA beat the ANC by 10%. 

Poll: 16% (37%)

Next by-elections


The next round of by-elections will be on 20 November when the ANC defends a relatively safe seat in Raymond Mhlaba (Bedford) in the Eastern Cape and a super marginal seat in Matzikama (Vredendal) in the Western Cape. The DA will hope to avoid a big potential banana peel in Manenberg, Cape Town. DM

Read more: Daily Maverick’s by-election coverage

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