Peaceful elections that led to change occurred in Botswana, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa, where the ruling ANC lost its majority for the first time. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo remains hung after Wednesday’s by-elections, as no party secured an outright majority.
The ANC emerged as the leading party, winning 39.65% of the votes, and securing 10 council seats, but it fell short of the 12 seats required to govern independently.
The by-elections, held after the municipality was dissolved, saw all 12 wards being contested.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) came in second with 16.41%, earning four seats, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secured three seats with 13.32%.
Smaller parties also made gains, with the Labour Party of South Africa and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) winning two seats each, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and Thabazimbi Residents Association (TRA) each claimed one seat.
Electoral Commission of South Africa provincial officer for Limpopo Nkaro Mateta told journalists on Thursday that the municipality would remain hung and that voter turnout was just 38.55%.
However, the ANC has rejected the proportional representation division of seats in the municipality, arguing that it should have received a larger share based on the number of votes it received.
The outcome requires political parties to negotiate coalitions to establish functional governance. In the absence of a majority, the municipality remains vulnerable to the instability that has characterised it since 2016.
Thabazimbi’s governance challenges have been longstanding, with the council plagued by infighting, financial mismanagement and service delivery failures. The municipality was also left hung in 2021, with the ANC securing 47% of the vote but losing control to a DA-led coalition.
It was in disarray, with two mayors and two municipal managers running parallel councils, unable to pass budgets or address debt owed to Eskom and the regional water authority. This deadlock stemmed from leadership disputes within the TRA, which later fractured into three factions.
Former mayor John Michael Fisher established the United Residents Party, while TRA rival Selaelo Sekgobela joined the Labour Party of Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union leader Joseph Mathunjwa.
It also formed parallel administrative structures, appointing duplicate mayors, speakers and municipal managers. The prolonged disputes led to court battles over motions of no confidence, further paralysing governance.
The council’s dysfunction affected staff, who went unpaid for months, and left the municipality burdened with debt of R300 million to Eskom and R180 million to Magalies Water.
The chaos prompted Limpopo’s provincial government and the National Council of Provinces to intervene, placing the municipality under administration in October under Section 139 of the Constitution.
At the time, Premier Phophi Ramathuba criticised the council’s leadership for prioritising internal power struggles over governance and the constituency.
“Instead of working together with us for service provision and good governance, they took us to court, fighting to stay in power and forgot about the interests of the residents they serve,” Ramathuba said.
The by-election was one of the most contested in recent years, with 400 candidates from 21 parties and five independents vying for seats. The ANC, DA, EFF and MK Party each fielded candidates in all 12 wards, underscoring the high stakes.
Mateta said none of the independent candidates had secured seats.