The ANC lost two seats to opposition parties in the latest municipal by-elections contested in Gauteng and the Northern Cape yesterday.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) released the results from the by-elections which were contested on Wednesday in the Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape provinces.
The ANC retained three seats while the DA and the EFF won one seat each.
In Gauteng, the EFF’s Lindokuhle Emmanuel Biyela is the new councillor in Ward 29 in Rand West City Municipality.
The party won the seat previously held by the ANC with 54.81% of the total votes cast compared to 47.95% received by the ANC during the 2021 municipal elections. The voter turnout was 34.33% on Wednesday.
The DA’s Johan Hendrik Vermeulen is the new councillor in Ward 4 in Kareeberg Municipality in the Northern Cape.
The party snatched the seat from the ANC with 42.77% of the total votes cast compared to 32.53% received by the ANC during the 2021 local elections. The voter turnout was 72.83% in the latest results.
The ANC, however, managed to retain their seats in three other municipalities that also held by-elections this week.
The new ANC councillor in Ward 53, situated just outside of Soweto, is Ntshavheni Thovhedzo Mutavhatsindi.
Mutavhatsindi won the seat by 31.67% of the total votes cast compared to 59.01% during the 2021 municipal elections. Voter turnout was 30.18%.
Sphiwe Sihle Ndlovu was elected the new councillor in Ward 13 in uMvoti Municipality following the murder of its previous councillor Thembinkosi Lombo.
Lombo was gunned down while walking to a food outlet to buy lunch in February. He had just left a council meeting when the shooting took place.
The newly elected councillor, Ndlovu won the seat by 33.84% of the total votes cast compared to 43.23% during the 2021 polls. Voter turnout was 59.21%.
Nteteleng Joseph Mashabela is the newly elected councillor in Ward 10, in the Dr JS Moroka Municipality in Mpumalanga. The ANC retained the seat won in the 2021 municipal elections, with 68.26% of the total votes cast compared to 65.96% during the 2021 local elections. Voter turnout yesterday was 34.95%.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Political Bureau