South Africa’s main black opposition, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), has retained two municipal seats in by-elections held on Wednesday while the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has also retained two of its seats, one with a much reduced majority.
The results of the by-elections were announced by the Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday.
In a surprisingly close result in Ward one at Delmas, the ANC gained just 50,9% of the vote followed by the United Democratic Movement — led by General Bantu Holomisa — with 37%.
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) gained 12% in a 25% poll. In the 2000 municipal election the ANC won 75% of the vote. Its nearest rival was the Democratic Alliance (DA), which won only 8,5%. Last time the PAC won 8,2%.
This time the opposition have converted a safe ANC seat into a marginal one.
In the City of Johannesburg ward 41, the ANC won with 89% to the PAC’s 7%. The percentage poll was just 13%. The Christian Democratic Party gained just 1% while the African Christian Democratic Party gained 2,8%.
The ANC gained 91,9% of the vote in the 2000 municipal election while the next best performance was by the DA, which won 3,6% of the vote in a 41,7% poll.
In Mtubatuba ward one the ANC got just 31,2% to the IFP’s 69% in a 20,7% poll.
This compares to 2000 when the ANC got 26% while the IFP received 61% in a low 21% poll. An independent obtained 10,4% or the vote last time while the DA
got 2,4%.
At “The Big 5 False Bay” municipality (Hluhluwe), KwaZulu Natal, the ANC gained 23,8% to the IFP’s winning 76% in a 42,5% poll. In 2000 the IFP won 82% of the vote against the ANC’s 17% in a 54% poll. – I-Net Bridge