ANC clinches victory in Thabazimbi by-elections, but hung council remains

The African National Congress (ANC) has emerged victorious in the recent by-elections held in Thabazimbi, Limpopo.

The by-elections followed the dissolution of the Thabazimbi Local Municipality, leaving all council seats vacant.

Over 51 000 registered voters were eligible to participate, casting their ballots on Wednesday across 57 voting stations in the region.

The highly contested 24 seats drew 405 candidates from 21 political parties, along with five independents.

Thabazimbi by-election results

On Thursday, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in Limpopo announced the results, with 19 812 people having voted in the by-elections.

“This falls within the range of our normal by-election turnout of around 40%,” IEC electoral provincial officer for Limpopo Nkaro Mateta said during a media briefing.

According to the IEC dashboard and portal, the ANC secured the majority of votes with 43.48%, translating to 10 council seats.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) ranked second, garnering 17.39% of the vote and earning four seats.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) claimed three seats with 13.04%.

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Other parties also made their mark.

The Labour Party of South Africa and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) obtained two seats each and 8.7% of the vote for both parties respectively.

Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and the Thabazimbi Residents Association (TRA) each secured a single seat.

Mateta indicated that none of the independent candidates who participated in the by-elections managed to get a seat.

In Ward 3, the ANC, which commanded over 70% of the vote in 2021, saw a dramatic shift on Wednesday, losing the region entirely to the Labour Party.

Of the other 10 wards the party controlled, only three saw positive growth since 2021.

See the table below:

Hung council remains after Thabazimbi by-election

The by-election outcome, however, leaves Thabazimbi as a hung council, where no single party holds a majority, necessitating the formation of coalitions to govern effectively.

“The results are bringing us back to council. None of these political parties obtained 50+1% so we still have a hung council in Thabazimbi.

“It is as if we did not do anything to really remedy the situation because the premier and NCOP [National Council of Provinces] dissolved this municipality based on the fact that nobody had [the] majority and this municipality had serious challenges,” Mateta said.

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The IEC Limpopo official confirmed that elected councillors of the Thabazimbi municipality will be sworn in during the first council sitting early next week.

“The administrator for Thabazimbi Local Municipality has convened a meeting for Monday, where, besides these elections, we are going to run, the mayor, speaker and so on are going to be elected,” the IEC Limpopo added.

EFF celebrates

Meanwhile, the EFF celebrated the outcome with loud cheers and dances, saying the results served the ANC right.

“Now, the ANC is going home disillusioned. It is terribly ashamed because it’s game plan failed dismally,” said EFF Limpopo chair Lawrence Mapoulo.

“They dissolved this municipality out of desperation and jealousy. They thought they will win the by-elections with an outright majority and continue with what they know best: loot,” he said.

Former Thabazimbi local municipality mayor Tokkie Swanepoel said she accepted the outcome of the by-elections.

“It must always be borne in mind that you can take the donkey to the river but you can’t force the donkey to drink. The people of Thabazimbi have chosen,” she said.

Mapoulo said it was public knowledge that the ANC collapsed the Thabazimbi municipality, claiming that the party’s plan was to loot the council coffers and control all the mines in Thabazimbi.

Tshepo Molewa, a resident in Thabazimbi’s Regorogile Township, said water shortages, sewerage spillage, uncollected litter, poor electricity connection, gravel roads with huge potholes and joblessness, will continue to be the order of the day as long as Thabazimbi is still being run by a coalition government.

2021 municipal elections

In the 2021 local government elections, the ANC dominated by winning 11 of the 12 wards but fell short of an outright majority with 47% of the vote.

The DA followed with 15%, earning four council seats, while the TRA secured three seats with 11%.

The EFF edged out the FF+ for fourth place, with both parties sending two councillors to the chamber.

Despite the ANC’s strong showing in 2021, the DA managed to assume control of the municipality through a coalition with smaller parties.

The ANC has lost control of several municipalities, leaving many councils hung and reliant on coalition arrangements for governance.

The rise of hung councils across all 257 municipalities has been significant, increasing from 29 in 2000 to 82 in 2021.

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