The ANC easily defended two seats in by-elections held on Wednesday.
Both by-elections were held in Thembisile Hani municipality in Mpumalanga. The municipality is on the border of Gauteng and is north-east of Tshwane.
In the first by-election the ANC romped home, winning nearly 75% of the vote. In the 2021 local government poll it had won just over 60% of the vote.
The only resistance came from the EFF and MK, which won 9% and 15% of the vote respectively.
It was a similar story in the municipality’s other by-election. Here the ANC won just under 70%, a ten-point increase on what it won in 2021. Again, the only significant resistance came from the EFF and MK, with the EFF winning 11% and MK 16%. This result will be a concern, especially for the EFF. In the 2021 local government election it had won 30% of the vote. This decline continues a pattern of declining EFF support in local by-elections.
Overall, these wins continue a pattern of recent success in by-elections. This could give it some confidence heading into the next local government elections, which must be held by early 2027.