DA smashes competition in local by-election

THE results for Wednesday’s Ward 36 by-election are in and the Democratic Alliance has thumped opposition party, the ANC, by winning the ward with 94 per cent of the residents voting for its candidate, Shaun Ryley.

Thousands of residents made their way to the various voting stations to show their support for the DA following former councillor, Dean Macpherson’s appointment as a member of parliament after the national elections in May.

A total of 6 036 people voted yesterday, of which 5 703 people voted for the DA and 327 people for the ANC.

“The DA candidate for ward councillor of Durban North, Shaun Ryley, secured a record 94.48 per cent majority in the hotly contested ward in the by-election held on 2 July,” Macpherson said.

“The result is even more spectacular considering the statements from the ANC that had said they wanted to take over the ward, however they could only achieve 5.41 per cent of the vote, their worst ever result since 1994.  The big turnout by DA voters sends a strong message to the ANC that Durban North is proudly DA and values the hard work put in by it’s public representatives,” he said.

Macpherson said the DA increased its majority from 84 per cent in 2011 to 94.48 per cent yesterday: “This is a phenomenal achievement for the DA in Durban North and gives Shaun Ryley a strong mandate to continue take the concerns of residents to the eThekwini Municipality.”

At a celebration party last night, both Macpherson and Ryley thanked voters, volunteers and DA staff for ensuring that the election ran smoothly and that such a historic win was achieved.