The Blyderville township in the local municipality of Ditsobotla in the North West province during the by-election on Wednesday.
- The ANC lost votes in the partial elections of the Local Municipality of Ditsobotla.
- The party received 39.82% of the vote.
- You need 51% or higher for an outright win.
The ANC was the big loser in the North West province after the municipal partial elections on Wednesday.
After a recount of votes, which lasted from 9pm until just after noon on Thursday, the South African Electoral Commission (IEC) revealed that the ANC received only 39.82% of the vote from the local Ditsobotla municipality.
Matches need 51% or more for an outright win. Ditsobotla was once an ANC stronghold.
But his popularity dropped from 77% of the vote in 2011 to 69% in 2014, 62% in 2016, 61% in 2019, 53% in 2021 and now below 40%.
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The EFF, however, came out smiling, having taken two ANC wards. They received 27% of the votes.
There were 39 seats up for grabs, 20 district seats and 19 PR (proportional representation) seats.
The municipality recorded the following:
- ANC won 16 seats: 15 constituencies and one PR seat;
- EFF won 10 seats: two constituency and eight public relations seats;
- DA won six seats: three district and three PR seats;
- Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) won two public relations seats;
- Patriotic Alliance won two public relations seats;
- African Heart Congress won a public relations seat;
- The Save Ditsobotla Movement won a public relations seat; Y
- Vryheids Front Plus won a public relations position.
An election analyst, Dawie Scholtz, said a coalition government was at stake.
He outlined four possible coalitions, including:
- ANC+EFF
- ANC + AD
- ANC + PA + F4SD
- EFF + DA + F4SD + FF + PA
Scholtz said ANC + PA + F4SD was the most likely outcome.
The election was held on Wednesday after the municipality dissolved on September 14, following a decision by the provincial executive committee to put Ditsobotla under administration.
This, after two warring ANC mayors refused to cede power.
The result of this internal war was that the provision of services stopped, and it was also the biggest factor in the ANC losing so many voters. Speaking to the media in Lichtenburg, the seat of the municipality, IEC North West Commissioner Tumelontle Thiba said that 41% of the 71,636 registered voters turned out for the by-election.
In a statement on Thursday, the IEC said it was pleased with the success of the vote.
In addition to Ditsobotla, by-elections were also held in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga on Wednesday.
