A resident casts his vote in Polokwane in 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / Philip Maeta) 
Ward 57 (Motherwell) Nelson Mandela Bay: ANC 62% (75% PR*) EFF 16% (15% PR) MK 16% Bosa 3% Azapo <1%
The setting: Motherwell is northwest of the Gqeberha city centre. It sits between the Zwartkops River and the R335 road which links the city with Addo. Ward 57 runs through the heart of Motherwell. The ward is divided by Tyinira Street, which runs from the top of Motherwell – from the R334 Daniel Pienaar Road, connecting the city with Kariega – all the way to the bottom, where it links with the R102 Grahamstown Road. Kaizer Chiefs defender Bongani Sam and artist George Pemba are famous sons of Motherwell.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won three-quarters of the proportional representation (PR) vote to achieve a landslide win. The EFF was the only other party to get into double percentage figures on the PR ballot. The DA finished a distant third with 3%.
The ANC had to fend off a challenge from an independent candidate on the ward ballot. Here the party took 59% of the vote with the independent coming second with 18% and the EFF third on 14%.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC won 72% on the provincial ballots in the ward. The EFF came second with 20%, while the DA was in third place. uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) only obtained 1%, while the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) and Build One South Africa (Bosa) had negligible support.
The by-election: The ward councillor died. The ANC retained the ward by a margin of more than 1,200 votes. It swept all four voting districts. The party did best in the voting districts east of Tyinira Street. At the Ethiopian Orthodox Church voting district in Motherwell 1, close to the R335 road, the ANC took more than 80% of the vote. At the Nxanelwimfundo Intermediate School voting district in Motherwell 8, it won 72%.
In the two voting districts west of Tyinira Street it won 66% and 51%. At Fumisaukoma Primary School in Motherwell 9, the EFF won 25%, while MK obtained 21%. Both the EFF and the MK did best in this district, where the ANC won 51%.
Read more: By-elections hub
The EFF beat MK by 16 votes. The party got into double percentage figures in all four districts. It did, however, share second-place spoils in the four voting districts, with MK beating the EFF in the most vote-rich district, Motherwell Senior Secondary School in Motherwell 7. MK will be happy with this result since it hardly featured here 13 months ago on the provincial ballot. It now has a foothold in a key township in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Poll: 26% (42%)
The next round of by-elections will be on 9 July when the DA defends two seats in Tshwane and a seat in Metsimaholo (Sasolburg) in the Free State.
The Proportional Representation (PR) ballot is used when it is a better mode of comparison for party support in the ward. In 2021, an independent candidate ran on the ward ballot. Due to that candidate not contesting again, we use the PR ballot.