Eleven by-elections were held on Wednesday, in various parts of the country. It was a good day for the DA, PA, and IFP, a middling day for the ANC, and a bad day for GOOD.
Three by-elections were held in George, all formerly wards represented by GOOD councillors. These were also the only ward seats represented by the party in the country. However, the party led by former PAC and DA member, Patricia de Lille, failed to defend any of the three seats.
The PA won one seat while the DA won the other two. This means that the DA now has an outright majority of the George municipal council, which it has been governing in coalition with the FF+.
Four by-elections were also held in Mangaung, after four ANC councillors had been ejected from the party for voting with the opposition, which saw a DA speaker elected on the council. The ANC won all four seats relatively easily, meaning that the party will likely be able to have its candidate elected speaker.
Two by-elections were held in KwaZulu, one in Nkandla and the other in Mthonjaneni (Melmoth) in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The IFP easily defended its seat in Nkandla, winning nearly 80% of the vote, an increase of 12 percentage points compared to the local government election.
In Mthonjaneni the IFP snatched a seat off the ANC, winning over 60% of the vote. This was an increase of 20 percentage points compared to the November 2021 local elections. This is the second ward won by the IFP off the ANC in the municipality.
In Rustenburg the ANC defended a seat relatively easily, winning just over 60% of the vote in Wednesday’s by-election, a slight increase on its performance in November 2021.
The final election was held in Senqu (Barkly East) in the Eastern Cape. Here the ANC again easily defended a seat, winning over 70% of the vote. The only opposition it faced was from the EFF.
The DA, the PA, and the IFP will all be pleased with their work on Wednesday, while the ANC will be relieved that it defended all its seats in Bloemfontein. However, its continued decline in KwaZulu-Natal will be a cause for concern.
GOOD party strategists have good reason to be worried, with that party receiving a pummelling on Wednesday. It may be that Patricia de Lille’s decision to accept a ministerial post in an ANC government has backfired and the party may face a realistic chance of not making it back to Parliament next year.
[Image: https://www.george.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/George-Muni-map-Final-RGB-150dpi.jpg]