ANC wins majority vote
JOBURG – The ANC has retained Joburg, but with less than 50 percent of the votes.
The ANC has won the majority vote in the City of Johannesburg, after a long and rigorous vote-capturing process in the 2016 Municipal Elections.
It has been a long ride of election campaigns, from political party boards posted on street lamps and court cases to the moment South Africans cast their vote on 3 August.
On 6 August the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the institution whose priority it was to ensure free and fair elections, announced the final results later on Saturday night.
One of the most hotly contested metros, the City was up for grabs by either the ANC or the DA, with the EFF debuting in local government elections. Since vote capturing started, albeit a bit late at the IEC [ww.elections.org.za] Gauteng Results Centre in Auckland Park, the ANC and DA were neck and neck with no clear winner. But during the final capturing hours on 6 August, the ANC, who already lost the City of Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, took the lead in the City.
The final result was ANC with 44,55 percent of the vote, the DA with 38,37 percent, and EFF with 11,09 percent. ANC won 121 seats, the DA won 104 seats, and the EFF won 30 seats.
However, no party got more than 50 percent of the votes. This has started coalition conversations.
Professor Peter Alexander, who is the chairperson of Social Change at the University of Johannesburg, said that coalitions with smaller parties could mean either the ANC or the DA wins the City.
“But the EFF, who many say are the kingmakers, may abstain entirely,” he said.
This could mean the ANC would have the majority vote in council.
Local government has to be established within two weeks after the election results are announced.
Related articles:
ELECTIONS: The ANC retains Joburg
