The African National Congress won the majority of wards in the national by-elections held on Thursday, the party said.
“The ANC regards all by-elections as important as national and local polls because they reflect the thinking of communities at the coalface of service delivery,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“Out of the 17 wards spread out in five provinces, we are happy to have won 14, with Limpopo province having won eight out of the nine wards contested,” he said.
The ANC was disappointed at the loss of wards in Carletonville and Pretoria, in Gauteng.
“This calls on all our cadres to go back to the drawing board [and] work closely with all communities to regain lost ground.”
A by-election is held to fill a seat left vacant between regularly scheduled elections.
Mthembu said the vacancies in the various councils arose as a result of the ANC’s “principled stance” against public servants who also held positions as public representatives.
“We also call upon all other political parties to join the ANC in adopting this important policy that will ensure no double-dipping in the public purse,” he said. — Sapa