With most of the votes have been tallied in the 2016 local government election, the DA appears to have retained ward 97 (Amanzimtoti) while the ANC has retained its hold on ward 93 (Athlone Park, Sewula, Iziko, Ezimbodokweni and KusaKusa).
Vote counting is still ongoing for two stations within ward 93, while ward 97 had one outstanding as at about 1pm on Friday afternoon, 5 August, according to the successful DA ward 97 candidate, Andre Beetge.
He confirmed that the DA had garnered some 8,529 votes in the ward, while the next closest was the ANC with 1,112 votes.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission’s website, the ANC swept the board in ward 93 with 64% of the vote (12,786 votes) while the next most voted for was the DA, with 29% (5,796 votes).
Speaking of the DA’s success in retaining the ward, Beetge said while the party hadn’t imagined it would have too much support in ward 93, which was previously an ANC ward, it was pleased to have garnered about 250 votes in areas such as Sewula, Iziko, Ezimbodokweni and KusaKusa, which showed that voters were “starting to think more carefully about their vote”. He was buoyed by this development in what has been an ANC stronghold.
“Very importantly, the DA has retained all its existing Ethekwini wards and also gained 11 wards across the Ethekwini area from other parties, predominantly from the ANC, in this election,” said Beetge.
Voting appeared to have gone off smoothly across both wards, despite the voting station at the Amanzimtoti Civic Centre opening about an hour late, owing to the voters’ roll arriving late.
