The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has won two municipal by-elections – in the Western Cape at Breede River/Robertson municipality and at Dealesville in the Free State unopposed — while the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has won a seat at Phillipstown in the Northern Cape unopposed.
The three by-elections are part of 10 municipal vacancies. The election for the remaining seven by-elections – in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal (one in Durban and one at Bergville), Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape — are to take place on Wednesday November 26.
In two contested seats there may be upsets. The first, at Randfontein, Gauteng Ward 4, is where the DA is expected to face its biggest threat from Pieter Mulder’s right-of-centre Freedom Front Plus, which recently snatched a by-election victory over the official opposition in a similar Afrikaans-speaking largely white area of Bloemfontein.
The ANC and the tiny Christian Democratic Party are also standing in the ward. In the 2000 municipal election the DA gained 1 003 votes or 72% to the ANC’s 372 or 26,8%. The United Christian Democratic Party gained 12 votes or 0,8%.
The second tough contest is expected in the Eastern Cape in ward 52 of the Nelson Mandela Metro where the DA’s Pine Pienaar vacated his seat to become a provincial legislature member. The seat in Uitenhage was won in 2000 with 65,2% of the vote to the ANC’s 1 963 or 34%.
The DA will be anxious to retain this seat as it recently lost another municipal seat in Uitenhage to the ANC — although the DA had gained 74% of the vote in that ward in 2000.
The DA and ANC are joined by Nasionale Aksie and the PAC in the Uitenhage contest — but the latter two parties are expected to be minor players. Meanwhile, in a largely black ward — ward 12 — in the Durban metro, KwaZulu Natal, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) is taking on the larger provincial parties, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the ANC. Last time the ANC received 3 741 votes or 79,2% to the IFP’s 11,5% and the DA’s 7,9%. The ANC is expected to retain the seat.
In Bergville, in KwaZulu Natal, the IFP is expected to retain another predominantly “black” seat it held in 2000 with 57,5% of the vote or 1 005 votes. The ANC received 20,6% or 361 votes while the DA gained 197 or 11,2%.
The ACDP gained 183 votes or 10.4%.
This time the DA is not standing — as it is in alliance with the IFP — but the ANC and ACDP are contesting the seat again. It appears to be a safe seat for the IFP.
Meanwhile in Fetakgomo ward 3, Limpopo, the ANC faces the PAC and the ACDP. In 2000 the ANC got 89% or 1,373 while the PAC got 64 votes or 4.15%. The ACDP did not stand last time. The seat appears to be a highly safe ANC one. At Delmas ward 4 in Mpumalanga the ANC faces the IFP, United Democratic Movement and the PAC. Last time the ANC got 83% or 977 votes with its nearest rival the Azania People’s Organisation with 93 votes or 7.9%. The seat looks like an ANC safe bet.
At Kimberley’s ward 24, Northern Cape, the DA is facing the ANC. In 2000 the DA received 93.8% or 1,940 votes to an independent’s 6.19%. This seat looks like a safe bet for the DA. – I-Net Bridge