Six by-elections were held on Wednesday, with the DA and ANC both successfully defending wards they held.
The DA defended two wards in Tshwane. In Ward 47 it faced only token resistance, winning nearly 99% of the votes cast on Wednesday.
In the other by-election in the capital, the DA won just over two-thirds of the vote, with ActionSA’s candidate giving a creditable performance, winning nearly a quarter of the vote.
The DA defended two other wards in other parts of the country. In Govan Mbeki (Secunda) the DA had another fairly easy day, winning over 90% of the vote.
In the Swartland municipality in the Western Cape the DA had a tougher day out. Here it defended its seat, with 37.5% of the vote on Wednesday. The PA mounted a serious challenge, and managed 32.4%. The ANC was the third-most popular party on Wednesday, winning 17% of the vote.
In the 2021 local government election the DA had won the ward with a similar proportion of the vote. In that poll its biggest challenger had been an independent – it is possible that many of those who voted for the independent in 2021 threw their support to the PA on Wednesday.
The ANC also defended the wards it held. In Ephraim Mogale (Marble Hall) in Limpopo the ANC won just over 60% of the vote on Wednesday, a slight decrease on the 70% it won in the 2021 local government elections. In the by-election its only opponent was the EFF, which won 35.7% of the vote.
The final election was held in Msukaligwa (Ermelo) with the ANC winning nearly 80% of the vote, a slight increase on what it won in 2021’s municipal election. The EFF was once again the only significant opposition, winning just over 20% of the vote.
South Africa’s two biggest parties will be relatively happy with Wednesday’s results, while the EFF and ActionSA will both be disappointed they couldn’t give their rivals more of a scare.