“Voters are looking for people who are with the people.” So said the provincial DA leader, Jane Sithole, following the outcome of the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality’s by-election outcomes.
On June 28, the DA retained Ward 14 in Middelburg, Ward 14 in Middelburg, Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, with an increased majority, from 79.79% in the 2021 local government elections to 96.58% on the poll.
According to Sithole, these results confirm that voters have confidence in the DA.
“We almost got a 100%, and this shows that consistency matters to the community. We have managed to be consistent in what we do in the community, and we do not only do our work during by-elections. We listen to the queries the people have and attend to them throughout. The voters look at the leaders and councillors and what they do in the communities when they vote. It is no longer about dropping off food parcels during by-elections or making grand speeches in parliament.”
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Elsie Vermooten, born and raised in Middelburg, is the Ward 14 councillor.
According to the DA, she is committed to tackling crumbling infrastructure, street light outages and illegal dumping, prevalent in this ward.
“We have full confidence that Elsie will continue to deliver on the DA’s values to the community that she is elected to serve, and wish her the greatest success. We will continue to work tirelessly in Ward 14 and across the entire province. This victory gives a boost to our momentum for the 2024 general election.”
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The overall results of the by-election, are as follows: the DA has 96.58%, with 905 votes compared to 79.79% with 1 666 votes in 2021; the ANC got 0.96% with nine votes, compared to the 2.87% it had got in 2021 with 60 votes; the EFF got 0% with zero votes, while in 2021 it had 0.96% with 20 votes; and the MHRF got 2.45% with 23 votes, when it got 2.59% with 54 votes in 2021.
