The ANC has welcomed the by-election results and said this showed that people still have confidence in the party.
This was after the ANC snatched a ward from the DA in eThekwini in by-elections.
In another by-election result the ANC kept its ward in Thaba Chweu municipality in Mpumalanga.
The ANC said the wins in eThekwini and Thaba Chweu showed that people still believe in the commitments made by the party.
It said by-elections served as a barometer of political sentiment.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said by-elections were difficult to interpret because of their localised nature, “making it difficult to generalise national trends.”
“However, they are still a meaningful indicator of public opinion, providing insight into shifts in voter preferences and potential challenge or success for the ANC,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
In Ekurhuleni, the DA retained its ward after the by-elections.
In Lekwa municipality in Mpumalanga an independent candidate won the ward that was previously won by the Freedom Front Plus in the last polls in 2021.
Independent candidates will also for the first time contest national and provincial elections next year.
This followed the Constitutional Court judgment in 2020 after the New Nation Movement challenged the Electoral Act.
The court ruled that independent candidates will be allowed to stand for seats in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
The judgment forced the national legislature to amend the Electoral Act to allow independent candidates to stand at national and provincial levels.
The law previously allowed candidates to contest elections only in municipalities.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics