OCTOBER BY-ELECTION
ANC’s Mthatha momentum continues as it retains the crown in King Sabata Dalindyebo
The ANC had an easy win in a low-turnout Mthatha by-election in which the EFF also made inroads in the ward. It was a tough night for Bantu Holomisa’s United Democratic Movement which finished way off the pace in a ward where it came second in 2021.
Ward 7 (Mthatha Central) in King Sabata Dalindyebo, OR Tambo: ANC 74% (57%) EFF 19% (10%) Isanco 4% (1%) UDM 3% (18%)
The setting: Ward 7 is the heart of Mthatha, the seat of power in King Sabata Dalindyebo and the OR Tambo District. The ward also houses the Nelson Mandela Museum. Part of the ward includes the suburb of Mbuqe Park. The district includes towns such as Port St Johns, Libode and Flagstaff.
The local government elections: The ANC carried 36 of the 37 available wards in King Sabata Dalindyebo. Its sole blemish was because of an independent candidate, not another political party. The ANC’s 57% in this ward was below the 64% received in the entire King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality. This is in contrast with the UDM whose 18% in the ward was higher than the 15% it received in the municipality in 2021. The EFF also overperformed here when one looks at the entire municipality where it won 7% of the vote. Despite getting less than 60%, the ANC still finished far ahead of the second-placed UDM. Its margin of victory was 955 votes.
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King Sabata Dalindyebo is the most vote-rich part of OR Tambo. It is also the only municipality out of the five local municipalities which make up the district where the ANC won less than 70% of the vote.
The by-election: The by-election took place because of the death of the previous councillor. The Independent South African National Civic Organisation (Isanco), a regional party and breakaway from Sanco (South African National Civic Organisation), completed the field. The by-election was supposed to take place in July but was postponed.
The turnout was low for Wednesday’s by-election at the Mthatha Town Hall. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)
The ANC had a convincing hold in Mthatha. It came close to winning three-quarters of the vote in this by-election. But it was not the only party to grow in the by-election. The EFF improved on its third-place showing in 2021 to finish runner-up in the contest by almost doubling its support. The UDM fell from second place to the last available spot. This result will worry the UDM as it is way below its 2021 total.
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The ANC swept all three voting districts, with the EFF doing best in the area around the Mthatha Free Church district where it garnered 25% of the vote. This resulted in the ANC getting 66% of the vote in this district. The ANC won 86% of the vote in the Mbuqe Park voting district.
The turnout was dreadful in the largest voting district. Only 3% of the registered voters in the Mthatha City Hall district turned out. There was a sharp reversal from the recent trend which saw a general enthusiasm for participation in elections and a higher turnout than in the local government elections.
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The Eastern Cape continues to be a province where the ANC defies the doomsayers. This result is the latest example of the party continuing to win the trust and faith of voters who turn out for elections in the province. It will no doubt note the low turnout and will want to make sure voters in Mthatha are more energised in 2024.
Turnout: 17% (50%).
The next by-election is on Wednesday, 2 November when the DA will defend a safe seat in eThekwini in the Kloof area. DM
Thanks for these regular by-elections reports Wayne! Interesting to note that this was a a UDM ward once. They won it in 2000, with 33 out of 64 seats, but have been on a steady decline since, holding 11 of 73 now.