ANC enjoys comfortable lead in Nelson Mandela Bay
The African National Congress enjoyed a significant lead in Nelson Mandela Bay as the results of the municipal elections began trickling in on Thursday morning, the SABC reported.
With 24 of the 246 voting districts declared, the ANC had a healthy lead with 74%.
The Democratic Alliance had 17% of the votes in the region.
The Congress of the People and the United Democratic Front were neck-and-neck with 3% each.
Parties upbeat
The DA and ANC remained upbeat about their chances on Thursday to grab strongholds from each other as a DA Twitter stream claimed new victories and a ruling party spokesperson reiterated the party’s commitment to winning new areas.
“We are still optimistic that we will led the way ... that we will get the majority of votes in Midvaal, Nelson Mandela Bay and Cape Town,” spokesperson Keith Khoza told Sapa.
“[However] it is difficult to say how we have done in the preliminary stages as the number of voting districts counted is low,” he said.
The SABC reported that the party won its first ward at Thembelihle in the Northern Cape, with Annetjie Kywe receiving almost 49% of the vote.
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In the Eastern Cape, both parties were neck-and-neck in the race for the Kou-Kamma municipality, part of the Cacadu District Municipality, the broadcaster said.
The municipality, currently controlled by the ANC, was narrowly being led by the DA with about half of the voting districts declared and a turnout of about 34% so far. The DA had approximately a 50% share of the ballot with the ANC close behind with a 49% share.
DA CEO Jonathan Moakes claimed on Twitter that a ward in the municipality had officially been won saying: “1st ward ever won by DA in Koukamma municipality in EC - Ward 2.” - Sapa
