In one of the major upsets from the nationwide by-elections held on Wednesday, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) snatched a ward from the governing African National Congress (ANC).
The EFF won Ward 13 of Msukaligwa Local Municipality (Ermelo) in Mpumalanga.
Ermelo and the larger Mpumalanga province are largely ANC strongholds, and during the November 2021 local government elections, the ANC won the ward.
NEWS: The EFF has once again stunned the ANC by snatching Ward 13 from the ANC in Ermelo, Mpumalanga. That happened during yesterday's by-elections province. On September 27, the ANC suffered another setback at Maquassi Hills municipality when the EFF snatched Ward 3 from it.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) October 12, 2023
However, the EFF showed that it meant business when it staged a fierce campaign to take the ward off the ANC. In the end, the EFF’s effort paid off when Siphiwe Florence Ngwenya won the ward on Wednesday.
This EFF victory comes after, late last month, the ANC suffered another electoral setback at Maquassi Hills Local Municipality when the EFF snatched Ward 3 from it.
Just like in Ermelo, the ANC won the ward in November 2021.
The ANC suffered another electoral setback at the Sol Plaatjie local municipality (Kimberly) when the Patriotic Alliance (PA) of Gayton Mackenzie and Kenny Kunene won the Ward 1 by-election.
The new PA councillor is Johan Loff.
Meanwhile, in other by-election results, the DA was able to retain the two wards of the City of Matlosana (Klerkdorp). In Ward 16, Jacqueline Anne Basson was elected as the DA councillor with an increased majority.
It also did the same in Ward 17, where Abraham Gerhardus Strydom was elected the new DA councillor with an increased majority as well.
The ANC was only able to retain two wards. One was in Ward 6, Siyancuma Local Municipality, Northern Cape, where Mabel Gadimelwe Tau was overwhelmingly elected. It also retained Ward 03 of Kai! Garib Municipality, also in the Northern Cape, where Jessica Sarah White was elected as the next councillor.
IOL Politics