Africa-Press – South-Africa. Johannesburg – The ANC has reiterated that its growth in municipal wards representation and the recent victory in by-elections, which saw it snatching five wards from its opposition parties, is a reflection of growing support for its party by the electorate.
These were the views expressed by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule after his party retained its 12 wards and gained five more during the by-elections held in the country on Wednesday.
The ANC snatched three wards from the Bushbuckridge Residents Association.
“The outcomes of the elections show that the electorate have confidence in the ANC,” Magashule said.
The IEC revealed that the average turn-out in the by-elections was 34.56% with the highest turn-out being 62.3%, at !Kheis in the Northern Cape.
The lowest turn-out was 11.72% in ward 15 of the City of Cape Town.
However, the DA issued a contrasting statement in which it said that the outcome of Wednesday’s by-elections was an indication that it was on a growth path while the ANC was on “its decline”.
DA national spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube said the outcome showed that South Africans demonstrated that they place their confidence in large parties like the DA, with a proven track record of governance, instead of smaller parties.
“The DA retained six out of eight DA wards receiving an average vote of 68% in the wards that we held.
“We obtained thumping majorities in the City of Cape Town (Ward 115) at 82.30% and eThekwini (Ward 66) at 85.03% of votes cast.
“Importantly, the DA resonates with black voters and is making significant in-roads into ANC strongholds.
“The DA growth in black voting districts was up 135% in 2019.
“In the Western Cape, in Ward 115 in the City of Cape Town, DA support grew showing a 12.68 percentage point increase.
“As predicted, the smaller party GOOD has not managed to break the 5% ceiling.
“The reality is that this party cannot and will not bring real hope or real change in this local government context.
“The DA also retained Langeberg.
“Over the past year, the DA embarked on a journey to correct its path.
“Organisations must go through a period of renewal and regrowth.
“This inevitably led to some disgruntled councillors, most of them facing disciplinary action, leaving the party.
“This is what happened in Oudtshoorn, where we have lost 2 Wards,” Gwarube said.
He said the DA was the only major party that was prepared to take firm action to ensure good governance is in place, even if doing so may generate temporary setbacks.
“We learnt lessons from the review panel report and listened to our voters and will continue to do so.
“It is significant to note that in ward 4, Oudtshoorn, with a majority black electorate, DA support held while the ANC support continued its downward course going from 47.04% to 42.25%. of the vote.
“Similarly, in Limpopo, in Ward 1, in Musina, where the demographic is majority black, DA support jumped from 13.80% in 2019 to 22.07%.
“These figures are proof that the DA remains the strong, rational centre where those from all races may feel heard and are genuinely represented,” Gwarube said.
She said they were delighted with their results in Gauteng, in Ekurhuleni (Wards 27, 28) “where we have held stable saying the independent candidates endorsed by Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA made no impact on our electoral support”.
“These by-election results bare testament to the decisive and unifying new DA leadership under John Steenhuisen, the regrowth of the only party big enough to beat the ANC.
“The DA is the only party in South Africa that is prepared to hold its own accountable against our values of clean governance.
“We will continue to do so.
“South Africans deserve nothing less,” Gwarube said.
Political Bureau
