The Democratic Alliance stands ready to co-operate with other parties on a case-by-case basis in the interest of good government, DA leader Tony Leon said on Thursday.
”Although final election results are still awaited, it is clear that in a number of towns and cities around South Africa, no party has a clear majority,” he said in a statement.
He said voters had dictated a situation where parties needed to co-operate.
”The DA believes that, where possible, opposition parties should form opposition-governed councils since clearly that is what the opposition voters want,” Leon said.
He stressed it was imperative that the heat and the animosities of the election be put aside in the interest of the ratepayers and the good government of towns and cities.
”We stand ready to co-operate, particularly with other opposition parties, to strengthen democracy in our country by building a stronger and more cohesive alternative to the ANC,” he said.
Divided opposition helps ANC in W Cape
The Democratic Alliance’s worst fear seem to have come true in the Western Cape, with the African National Congress carrying many municipalities on the back of a split opposition vote.
By 4pm the ANC had captured or tied in 20 municipalities and the DA had won five outright.
In Beaufort West, the ANC tied with controversial former mayor Truman Prince’s Independent Civic Organisation of SA (Icosa), each winning five seats. The DA won two seats and Independent Democrats (ID) one.
The DA and ANC also tied in Prince Albert with three seats each on a six seat council.
In Laingsburg, the ANC, DA and Laingsburg Gemeenskapsparty each took two seats and will now have to find an accommodation with each other.
The ID holds the balance of power in Bergriver (Velddrif), where the DA and ANC tied with six seats each on a 13 seat council.
The ANC won in Stellenbosch, long seen as the intellectual heart of Afrikanerdom, gathering 16 seats against the DA’s 15. The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) won two seats, the ID two and the Kayamandi Community Alliance one.
In Drakenstein (Paarl), home of the Taal monument, the ANC scored a further victory, beating the DA 26-20, with the ID gathering 10 seats, the Federation of Democrats one, the Western Cape Community two, and the African Christian Democratic Party and Freedom Front Plus one each.
Icosa arguably cost the ANC control of Mossel Bay, where the DA won 10 seats, the ANC eight, Icosa three, the ACDP one and the ID one.
Councils the ANC can provisionally claim are Knysna (ANC seven, Icosa one, DA five, Knysna Community Forum two, ID two), Bitou (Plettenberg Bay: ANC seven, DA three, ID one) and Oudtshoorn (ANC eight, DA seven, ID six, Oudtshoorn Civic Organisation two).
In Hessequa (Heidelberg-Riversdale), the ANC won nine of 15 seats and the DA won the rest.
The ANC also won Swellendam with four seats, from the DA with three, the ID two and the ACDP one.
There was also a split vote in Cape Agulhas (Bredasdorp) where the ANC won five seats, the DA four and the ACDP one.
Theewaterskloof (Caledon) was also narrowly taken by the ANC, which won 10 seats to the DA’s nine, the ID’s two and one each for the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and ACDP.
In Breederiver (Robertson) the ANC won nine seats to the DA’s six, with three for the ID and one each for the People’s Democratic Movement and the Western Cape Community party.
The result was similar in the Breede Valley (Worcester), where the ANC scored 18 against the DA’s 13, the ID’s five and the FF+’s one. Two independents won a seat each as well.
In Witzenberg (Ceres) the ANC took 10 seats, the DA six, the ID three, the United Independent Front (UIF) one and the First Community Party of SA one.
The ANC took six seats in Cederberg (Citrusdal), the DA four and the ID two.
Matzikama (Vredendal) also went to the ANC with six seats, followed by the ID with four and the DA with three.
In Kannaland (Ladismith), the ANC scored another victory, beating the DA and Icosa, with two each, with four seats in total. The ID got one.
In Saldanha the ANC led the DA six to four with the ID getting two seats.
The Swartland (Malmesbury) voted DA, giving the party 12 seats, the ANC six and the ID and ACDP one each.
Overstrand, or Hermanus, stayed DA, with the party taking 10 seats, the ANC seven and the ID and ACDP one each.
The DA holds George, where it won 18 seats against the ANC’s 17, the ID’s two and one each for the ACDP and FF+.
On the District Municipal front, the ANC won three seats each on the Central Karoo and Overberg councils.
Icosa won two seats and the DA one in the Central Karoo and the DA took four and the ID one in the Overberg.
In the Eden District Council the ANC took home five seats, the DA won five and Icosa and the ID one each.
ANC pulls clear of DA in the Eastern Cape
Wednesday’s local government election was a two-horse race between the ANC and DA in the Eastern Cape, but with the former in a clear lead by 2pm on Thursday.
Although the major centres -‒ Port Elizabeth, East London and Mthatha –had not yet announced results, 17 of the province’s 40 municipalities had completed vote counting.
Of these the African National Congress took 16 and the Democratic Alliance one.
None of the five district councils had passed the finish line by 2pm.
The DA scored a success in Baviaans (Willowmore) municipality, taking three out of five seats. Just over 4 580 people voted.
Graaf-Reinet (Camdeboo) returned eight ANC councillors to the DA’s three.
The Blue Crane Route (Somerset East) elected eight ANC candidates and three for the DA; the Jansenville community chose three ANC members — one from the DA and a representative of the Jansenville/Klipplaat Alliansie.
Grahamstown was a straight race between the DA and ANC, the latter winning by 20 to four.
In Ndlambe (Port Alfred) the outcome was the same, with a 14 to four margin for the ANC.
In the Sunday’s River Valley the ANC led the DA by 12 to two, and in Kou-Kamma (Kareedouw) by seven to two, with the Independent Democrats taking the last of 10 seats.
In Kouga (Humansdorp), a municipality that includes Jeffrey’s Bay, the ANC took a commanding 11 seats, with the DA gaining six, the ID one, the Kouga Civic Alliance one and Kouga 2000 the last seat.
In the Great Kei (Komga), the ANC also had a commanding hold on the council with ten seats versus the DA’s one and ID’s one.
In Nxuba (Adelaide) the ANC had a lead of four over the DA’s one, the Adelaide Residents’ Association two and the Bedford Residents Association one.
In nearby Cradock (Inxuba Yethemba) the ANC led 13 to five while in Tarkastad (Tsolwana) the ANC held nine of ten seats, the DA holding the other.
In Molteno, the outcome was similar, the ANC holding a five to one lead.
Queenstown voters gave the ANC an unassailable 47 seats on a council of 53, with the Pan Africanist Congress holding one seat and the DA three.
In Burgersdorp, the ANC beat the DA six to two.
ANC heading for glory in Limpopo
The African National Congress was heading towards a resounding victory in Limpopo on Thursday afternoon with a few less visible parties winning in some municipalities.
Counting had been completed in only eight of 31 municipalities, but the results trickling in showed the ANC had maintained a strong hold on the province.
The ruling party scored a massive 23 out of 26 seats in the Fetakgomo municipality, with the United Independent Front securing a surprising two seats. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) each got one seat.
A total of 42 739 votes were cast in Maruleng (Hoedspruit) with 18 seats going to the ANC.
The PAC came second in the municipality with three seats followed closely by the Democratic Alliance with two and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) with one seat.
With 92% of votes in Molemole (Dendron) the ANC swept up 23 seats, leaving the ACDP and DA with one each.
Independent candidates won three seats in the Thabazimbi municipality, with the ANC scoring 13 seats in the municipality.
In Lephalale (Ellisras) 37 595 votes were cast, giving the ANC 20 seats and leaving the DA trailing behind with three. The PAC managed to get one seat.
It was a narrower victory for the ANC in Naboomspruit with five seats to the FF+’s two and the DA’s one seat.
The DA and FF+ won two seats each in Modimolle (Nylstroom), but the ANC walked off with an overwhelming 12 seats.
The Onafhanklike Munisipale Kiesersforum in Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) managed to secure one seat, with the ANC winning 12 seats followed by the DA with two.
Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Brigalia Bam said 90% of the results would hopefully be in by sunset on Thursday. – Sapa