Voters queue during the general elections at Edgemead community Hall in Cape Town on 29 May 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / Misha Jordaan) 
KwaZulu-Natal
Ward 64 (Montclair Yellow Wood Park) eThekwini: DA 63% (56%) MK 22% ANC 10% (24%) RISE 3% EFF 1% (6%) ARA <1% (<1%) PRM <1%
The setting: Ward 64 is in the south of Durban, above The Bluff and right by the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve. It includes Montclair, Yellow Wood Park, Woodlands and Woodhaven, which all sit next to each other. There is also the uMhlatuzana part of Chatsworth and the area of Rossburgh which is above Clairwood, straddling the M4 Highway.
Soccer players George Dearnaley, Dillon Sheppard and Sean Dundee all hail from the Ramblers Football Club in Montclair.
The 2021 local government elections: The DA swept all eight voting districts in the ward, beating the ANC by 2,369 votes. St Raphael’s Special School in Montclair was the district with the most competition as the DA carried this part of the ward by only eight votes. The party was the most vulnerable in the three Montclair voting districts. It easily won in Yellow Wood Park, uMhatluzana and Woodlands. Rossburgh was also a district where the opposition had more of a chance to dent the DA.
The IFP finished in fourth place with 4%, just ahead of ActionSA on 3% of the vote.
The 2024 provincial election: It was a far tougher time for the DA in 2024. uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) won all three Montclair voting districts, beating the DA in Montclair by 861 votes.
MK also ran the DA close in Rossburgh and Woodlands, with a few votes separating the parties.
The DA beat MK by 655 votes in Yellow Wood Park. uMhlatuzana was key for the DA as it routed MK by 570 votes in this district. Only 480 votes separated the DA from MK and 4% as the DA finished on 40% and MK on 36%. The ANC was third with 9% and the IFP fourth with 7%. The EFF was further back on 3%.
The by-election: The ward councillor was in court on charges of assault after allegedly using a torch to hit someone at a house in Ward 64 after a heated argument. The councillor resigned due to poor health, according to the party, and to focus on his family business. The DA has lost three marginal seats in eThekwini since 2021. It has lost seats to the ANC, MK and an independent. The party wanted to avoid losing this seat at all costs.
The DA swept all voting districts in the by-election to retain the seat. It won back all three Montclair voting districts carried by MK in 2024. The margin of victory was 2,056 votes, far wider than the 480 that separated the parties in 2024. The DA did best in uMhlatuzana, winning 95%, followed by Yellow Wood Park Primary where it took 82%.
MK was well off its 2024 mark, but still beat the ANC and the EFF in every voting district. Rise Mzansi was able to beat the EFF to fourth place but was far behind the ANC. The EFF’s showing was down from 2024 as its support continued to slide in this ward.
Poll: 24% (41%)
Limpopo
Ward 9 (Manapsane Moganyaka) Ephraim Mogale, Sekhukhune: ANC 69% (66%) EFF 24% (27%) MK 4% Sameba 2% (<1%) PAC 1% (1%)
The setting: Ward 9 sits next to the N11 national road which connects Marble Hall with Groblersdal. It lies near the Olifants River. It includes the adjoining villages of Manapsane and Moganyaka. Sepedi is the dominant language in the ward. The area is known for citrus, table grape and tobacco farming. Soccer player Ndumiso Mabena and Proteas cricketer Duanne Olivier are from this municipality.
Ephraim Mogale forms part of the Sekhukhune district which also includes the towns of Burgersfort, Marble Hall and Jane Furse.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won two-thirds of the vote in the ward. The EFF was the only other party to get a sniff, winning more than a quarter of the vote.
The ANC did best at the St John’s Apostolic Church voting district in Manapsane where it obtained 70%. The EFF did best at the Ratlagane Traditional Authority voting district with 38%.
The ANC won 19 of the 32 council seats. They included 13 of the 16 wards in the municipality. The EFF is the official opposition with seven seats. Two independent candidates won wards in this municipality. The DA also won two seats. Two other parties won a single seat each.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC’s vote return was very similar to 2021 – a 67% haul. The EFF was second with 18%. Both the DA and the regional United Africans Transformation (UAT) party finished ahead of MK which only obtained 1%. It was ahead of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) and the South African Maintenance Estate and Beneficiaries Association (Sameba) party.
The by-election: The ANC beat the EFF by 1,031 votes in Ward 9. The party did best at the St John’s Apostolic Church, winning 73%. The EFF got into double percentage figures in all four voting districts but declined compared with its 2021 showing. Despite the fall, it still beat MK in the four districts.
Read more: By-elections hub
This is the second successive by-election in Sekhukhune in a fortnight in which the ANC has shown growth and the EFF has receded. The ANC will be confident that in this region of the country it is well set for the next nationwide election.
Poll: 49% (40%)
The next round of by-elections will be on 1 October when the ANC defends three seats – in Mamelodi East, Tshwane, the small town of Kriel in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, and a super-safe rural seat in Elundini, Eastern Cape. DM