The EFF took a ward off the ANC in a by-election on Wednesday.
In Ward 11 in Nkomazi (Malalane), in eastern Mpumalanga, the EFF stunned the ANC, securing a relatively easy win.
The EFF candidate managed to secure nearly 60% of the vote in the by-election, compared to the 20% it won in last year’s local government election. By contrast, the ANC saw its vote share drop from about 53% to just above a third.
The former ANC councillor for the ward, Mumsie Khoza, who had been expelled from the party for voting with the EFF in the Nkomazi council, stood as an independent but won only 8% of the vote.