ANC narrowly wins control of Ward 109 in by-elections
SANDTON – The ANC's Liaquad Ebrahim will be the new Ward 109 councillor.
The African National Congress (ANC) has gained a ward in Johannesburg following the by-elections on 24 July.
Candidates of the ANC, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) took part in the Ward 109 by-elections after former DA ward councillor Werner Smit resigned in April.
The ANC’s Liaquad Ebrahim narrowly won control of the ward with 51.15 per cent of the votes. Ward 109 falls on the border between Sandton and Alexandra and includes parts of Morningside, Wendywood, Kelvin, Marlboro and Eastgate.
Voter turnout for the by-elections was very low with only 25.6 per cent of registered voters taking part in the elections. Party representatives at the Ernest Ullmann recreation centre, one of the voting stations, said the stations had been quiet during the morning and were hopeful voting would pick up after people had finished work.
Ebrahim received strong support at Marlboro Gardens High School and Nukuthula Centre voting stations, receiving well over 75 per cent of votes in these areas. The DA had strong support at the Ernest Ullmann recreation centre and Wendywood High School voting stations which have predominantly supported the DA. The EFF received marginal support in most of the voting stations and received the majority of its support at the Hlayisanani Day Care Centre with 27.24 per cent of votes.
In the 2016 Municipal Elections, the DA also narrowly obtained a victory with 50,45 per cent of the votes and voter turnout was 53.82 per cent which significantly decreased during the by-elections.
A statement released by the ANC’s Johannesburg Region said, “The ANC’s victory in this by-election is a sign of renewed confidence of the people in the ability of the ANC to solve their problems.”
Of the four by-elections that took place in Johannesburg on 24 July, the DA managed to retain support in three of the wards.
The next municipal by-elections will take place in 2021.
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