Seemingly unperturbed by the numbers, the ANC’s deputy secretary general, Jessie Duarte, believes the ANC is doing well in the local government elections.
In an interview with the Mail & Guardian at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) results centre, Duarte was of the view that the party was “doing okay”.
At about 7pm, Duarte said the ANC was performing well in the City of Johannesburg, adding that they were certain that the party would regain Buffalo City metropolitan municipality. She also highlighted the eThekwini region, where the ANC has enjoyed a clear victory since 1994.
“What we are disappointed about is the turnout and I think it should be a concern for everybody in the country, especially because it relates to what we are going to do about the youth vote in the country. We think we are okay. We have kept all the wards that we previously had. We have won a few wards from the DA and some from EFF in Rustenburg, for instance,” she said.