Two by-elections were held on Wednesday, with the ANC defending two seats in Mbashe (Elliotdale).
The ANC defended both seats easily. In the first seat, which had a low turnout on Wednesday of 20%, the ANC secured nearly 70% of the vote, a slight increase on what it won in the 2021 local government election.
An independent and the EFF’s candidate each managed just more than 10% of the vote.
It was a similar story in the second by-election in the municipality, with the ANC again almost winning 70% of the vote on Wednesday. The only resistance was from the UDM and the EFF with candidates from these two parties each winning just below 15% of the vote.
The by-elections show that the trend of strong ANC support in rural South Africa, particularly the Eastern Cape, is continuing.
The next round of by-elections is in the second week of October, when six will be held in various parts of the country.