ANC flips DA ward in Northern Cape municipal by-election

The African National Congress (ANC) got one over their political rivals this week.

By-elections were held in various wards of coastal provinces on Wednesday, with the ANC registering the biggest upset of the day.

The ANC’s Junine Ludick will be the new ward councillor in the Northern Cape’s !Kheis Municipality, winning ward 6 which was previously held by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Four for ANC

Ludick and the ANC won 57.7% of the votes in a high turnout of 72.1% of eligible voters. She improved on the ANC’s share of 49.3% in 2021.

The ward covers the Groblershoop area, with her DA opponent Delano Kgatlane dropping the party’s support to 29%, followed by the Patriotic Alliance with 13%.

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There were three other by-elections on the day, all held in the Eastern Cape.

The ANC retained its supremacy in wards 12 and 20 of the Buffalo City Municipality, with 57% and 61% of the vote, respectively.

In the Intsika Yethu Municipality, the ANC retained Ward 15 with 88% of the votes cast.

Shake-up in North-West ward

Earlier in the year, the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party claimed its first ward in a municipal by-election in the North West province.

In August, Thabiso Molefe upset the ANC’s Nomziwakhe Ntsoeu and the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Thabo Modimokwane to claim Ward 45 in the Rustenburg municipality.

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Member of the MK party’s High Command, Floyd Shivambu, took to social media to celebrate the first major victory of his tenure.

“Congratulations to volunteers in Rustenberg Ward 45 for an emphatic win in the by-elections. Best wishes to Comrade Thabiso Molefe as he joins the Rustenburg council as a councillor of the MKP (MK party).

That same day saw the DA lose another ward, this time to independent candidate Andrew Akkers who stole away what was a DA stronghold in eThekwini’s Ward 34.