Voters queue at a church during local elections in Alexandra, Johannesburg, on 18 May 2011. (Photo: EPA / Kim Ludbrook) 
Tshwane
Ward 98 (Theresa Park Akasia): DA 73% (42%) ANC 10% (16%) FF+ 9% (15%) EFF 5% (9%) Ind-Moroane 3% OHM <1%
The setting: Ward 98 is north of the Pretoria city centre. It includes Akasia, the most contested part of the ward, where the DA, the ANC and EFF all have strong sections of support. Theresa Park, Nina Park and Dorandia are suburbs where the DA is strong and where the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) fares best. Wonder Park is more competitive. The ward is next to the Onderstepoort Nature Reserve.
The 2021 local government election: The DA was able to sweep all eight voting districts, despite stiff challenges in a number of them. The ANC pipped the FF+ to second place. The latter finished just ahead of ActionSA. ActionSA finished a few votes behind the ANC on the proportional representation (PR) ballot to end up third on that ballot.
The DA won more than 50% of the vote in two of the eight voting districts, in Nina Park and Dorandia. The ANC won more than 25% in two of the Akasia voting districts. ActionSA won more than 20% at the same two voting districts where the ANC had its best returns. The FF+ won 25% in Nina Park and more than 20% in Dorandia and one of the Theresa Park districts, at Theresa Park Primary. The EFF’s best return was at Laerskool Akasia, taking 15%.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 39% of the vote, taking six of the eight voting districts. The party won by large margins in Nina Park, Dorandia and at the Bright House Academy district in Theresa Park. The ANC came second with 20%, winning the Laerskool Akasia district.
The EFF made strides in the ward, coming third with 18%. It also came first at Hoërskool Akasia. The FF+ was a distant fourth on 7%. Nina Park and Dorandia were the most responsive to their message. ActionSA was fifth with 6%.
The by-election: The DA terminated the membership of its ward councillor, Nosipho Mtakati. The former ward councillor defected to the EFF and was chosen as its candidate in the by-election. The FF+ fielded former Tshwane health MMC and veteran councillor Rina Marx as its candidate, while ActionSA elected not to contest the by-election.
The DA romped home in this contest. It swept all eight voting districts in a low-turnout affair. The party won 83% of the vote in two of the Theresa Park districts. Its lowest percentage return was 63% in Hestea Park.
The ANC beat the FF+ to second place by 51 votes. The 40-vote margin between them in Hestea Park was key for the ANC, as it won 23% of the vote there. The party’s second-best return was at Theresa Park Primary where it obtained 17%.
The FF+ finished ahead of the ANC in four of the eight voting districts. It took 16% at Hoërskool Akasia, but the turnout here was a pitiful 9%. The party won 13% in Nina Park.
The EFF was hamstrung by the 9% turnout at Hoërskool Akasia, where it has performed best in the past. Its 9% return in Hestea Park was the party’s best result in this by-election. The former DA councillor donning the red beret did not benefit the party in this race.
Poll: 16% (51%)
Ward 44 (Faerie Glen) Tshwane: DA 88% (70%) FF+ 11% (17%) ANC 1% (3%) OHM <1%
The setting: Faerie Glen is east of the Pretoria city centre, below the N4 National Road and above Garsfontein, to the right of the N1 national road. Free State Cheetahs prop Banele Mthenjane hails from this area.
The 2021 local government election: The DA won close to three-quarters of the vote in the ward. The only other party to get into double percentage figures was the FF+. ActionSA came third with 5% of the vote.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 76% on the ward ballot, with the FF+ getting 9%. The ANC beat ActionSA to third place with 5%.
The by-election: The ward councillor, a former chief whip in the council, resigned because of ill health.
The DA won here by a big landslide, winning between 85% and 91% of the vote in the seven voting districts and beating the FF+ by 3,155 votes.
The FF+ beat the ANC in all seven voting districts, getting more than 10% in five districts.
Poll: 27% (62%)
Free State
Ward 14 (Vaalpark Sasolburg) Metsimaholo, Fezile Dabi: DA 60% (76%) FF+ 29% (14%) ANC 11% (7%) KAM <1%
The setting: Ward 14 is on the edge of the municipality in the northwest corner. It borders the Vaal River and Gauteng and includes the western suburban area of Sasolburg and Vaalpark. There are also some voters in the more rural Barrage area. Metsimaholo is the home municipality of Ralph Rabie, who was better known by his stage name, Johannes Kerkorrel, and Comrades champion Sam Tshabalala.
The 2021 local government election: The DA won more than three-quarters of the vote in this ward. It won close to 80% of the vote in the Sasolburg voting district and in Vaalpark. The ANC edged the DA in the Barrage district. The FF+ was the only other party to get into double figures.
The ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) ran together under the ANC banner. The ANC won 16 seats, down from the combined total of 19 in the previous election when it won 16 and the SACP three. The DA finished second on 12, up by a single seat. The EFF made good inroads, climbing from eight seats to 12. The FF+ also made gains, from one seat to three. Three other parties have single seats in the 36-seat council. It is a municipality plagued by many political challenges.
The 2024 provincial elections: The DA won 73% of the vote in the districts that make up this ward and also won the Barrage district. The FF+ was second again here with 14% while the ANC obtained 5%.
The by-election: The ward councillor resigned. The little-known Kingdom Ambassadors Movement (KAM) was also on the ballot.
The DA beat the FF+ by 391 votes. The FF+ pushed the DA hard in the Sasolburg voting district, finishing 49 votes behind, with the gap here being only 8% as the FF+ bagged an impressive 41% of the vote. This was the FF+’s standout performance of the night when one considers all three by-elections.
Read more: By-elections hub
It was essentially business as usual in Vaalpark where the DA won 77%, well ahead of the FF+ on 17%. The ANC had some consolation, holding the sparsely populated Barrage district. A neat 100 valid votes were cast in this district, making it especially easy to work out the percentage vote for each party. The ANC won 53%, 13% and 13 votes ahead of the DA which won 40%.
Poll: 35% (62%)
The next by-elections will be on 16 July when the EFF defends a ward in Seshego, Polokwane. The DA will defend a seat in Bethelsdorp in Nelson Mandela Bay and the IFP a marginal seat near Vryheid in AbaQulusi. The ANC will be confident in picking up a seat formerly held by an independent in Mpekweni, south of Peddie in Ngqushwa, Eastern Cape. There is a reasonable chance that all four seats will change party hands in this round of by-elections. DM