Electoral Commission of South Africa officials prepare a voting station at a church in Alexandra for local elections in Johannesburg on 18 May 2011. (Photo: EPA / Kim Ludbrook) 
Gauteng
Ward 29 (Diepkloof Noordgesig) Johannesburg: PA 30% (13%) ANC 23% (39%) EFF 16% (12%) ActionSA 10% (14%) MK 4% DA 4% (10%) Operation Dudula 3% ACP 3% AIC 3% (4%) AMC 2% COPE 1% (<1%) Ind-Tetyana
The setting: Ward 29 is southwest of the city centre. It encompasses numerous parts of Soweto and sits in the east of the town, with much of the ward just off New Canada Road. It includes Diepkloof, Noordgesig, parts of Orlando East and a section of Pennyville. Soccer stars Lucas Radebe and Benedict Vilakazi hail from Diepkloof. Diepkloof has the most registered voters in this ward (just under 40%). Zulu is the most-spoken language, with Sesotho, Xitsonga and isiXhosa also prominent. Noordgesig is a predominantly Afrikaans-speaking coloured community. It has some of the most beautiful murals in the city, paying tribute to community leaders such as Ma Glover and role models including boxer Jake Tuli. Musician Jonas Gwangwa is one of the many famous people to come out of Orlando East. Zulu is the most widely spoken language in Orlando East, followed by Sesotho and Setswana. Both Noordgesig and Orlando East have just over one-quarter of the ward’s voters each.
Less than 10% of the voters in the ward reside in Pennyville. Here Zulu is also the most-spoken language, followed by Sepedi.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat second-placed ActionSA by 1,725 votes. The ANC fared best in Diepkloof. It won seven of the nine voting districts in the ward, sweeping Diepkloof, Orlando East and Pennyville. ActionSA picked up the runner-up spot through its Orlando East returns, obtaining an impressive 25% of the vote at Lofentse School in Orlando East.
The PA came third, 59 votes behind ActionSA. It won both voting districts in Noordgesig. The more-populous voting district, Noordgesig Primary School, was where the PA got the best support. The EFF was 48 votes shy of the PA total, recording its greatest success in Diepkloof Zone 3. The DA got into double percentage figures, also finding greater purchase in Noordgesig. The African Independent Congress (AIC) beat the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) to sixth place with 4% of the vote.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC won 40% of the vote. The chasing pack had a photo finish with 5% separating the parties in second and sixth place. The PA came second with 12%, with the EFF just behind on 11%. The DA also received 11%. MK ended fifth with 10% and ActionSA sixth with 7%.
The ANC won seven of the nine voting districts again and, as it did in 2021, performed best in Diepkloof. The PA finished second by carrying the two Noordgesig voting districts. The EFF’s third-place finish was built on Diepkloof returns. The DA was largely reliant on Noordgesig for its 11%. MK won more than 20% in Pennyville and did better in Orlando East compared with Diepkloof. ActionSA won 10% in both Orlando East voting districts.
The by-election: The ward councillor, who also served as deputy chief whip of the ANC, died from high blood pressure. Eleven other candidates lined up to take on the ANC: Operation Dudula, an independent candidate Mxolisi Tetyana, who is active in the community policing forum, the Congress of the People (COPE), the AIC, the All Citizens Party (ACP) and the African Movement Congress (AMC) joined the more established parties on the ballot.
The PA shocked the ANC, beating the party by 454 votes. The PA is the only party to have taken wards off the ANC in the City of Johannesburg since 2021. With this Soweto win it has now backed up its by-election win in the deep south of the city, in Ennerdale. The PA focused on Noordgesig and reaped the benefits. Turnout was between 50% and 55% in the two Noordgesig voting districts, considerably higher than the 37% polling average.
At Noordgesig Primary, the PA came close to doubling its percentage, growing from 38% to 75%. The DA collapsed from 24% to 8% here and the ANC’s vote share fell from 11% to 6%. The PA’s tally at Noordgesig Primary was 89 votes short of the ANC’s total, across all nine voting districts. Noordgesig Primary was key in this significant PA victory.
In the St Andrews Catholic Church voting district in Noordgesig, the PA surged from 34% to 64%, while the ANC fell from 16% to 7% and the DA stumbled from 20% to 7%. The PA took 6% of the vote in Pennyville, and only 2% to 3% of the vote in Diepkloof and Orlando East.
The ANC won four of the nine voting districts, carrying all four Diepkloof districts. The party grew in the Ipokoleng Primary School district from 55% to 63%. In stark contrast to the 55% turnout at one of the Noordgesig voting districts, it was 7% at the Diepkloof Multipurpose Hall. Only 42 valid votes were cast here. The low turnout would have contributed to the ANC’s defeat. The ANC’s vote share declined marginally in the three other Diepkloof districts.
Comparing the four Diepkloof voting districts with the 2021 results, the ANC essentially matched its 2021 showing with 50%, down slightly from 52%. The EFF came second in Diepkloof with 19%, up from 17%. ActionSA slid from 17% to 11%. MK took 4% in Diepkloof. It did not exist in 2021. The DA registered 3%, down from 4% in 2021.
Orlando East was a different story. The ANC was unable to win either voting district. ActionSA came first in the Lofentse School district with 30%, one vote ahead of the EFF. The ANC fell from 46% to 14%. The EFF was the main beneficiary in this district.
The EFF won the Good News Bible Church voting district with 35%, well up from 15% in 2021. The ANC was second with 20%, a sharp decline from 52% in 2021. ActionSA matched its 17% return from 2021. The All Citizens Party (ACP) deserves an honourable mention, as it came fourth with 15%.
Tallying the Orlando East votes, the EFF came first with 33%, rocketing up from 15% in 2021. ActionSA was second with 21%, replicating its 2021 showing. The ANC had to settle for third place in Orlando East, falling from 49% to 18%. MK collected 3% of the vote, while the PA went from 1% to 2% to beat the DA in Orlando East. The DA had a woeful time here, falling from 4% to 2%.
MK was the most popular party in Pennyville, carrying the sole Pennyville district in the ward with 27%. The African Movement Congress (AMC) was a surprise second-place finisher in Pennyville with 18%. The ANC fell from 44% to 17%. The EFF was fourth with 16%, just down from 17% in 2021. ActionSA, the PA and the DA all declined in Pennyville by 5%. ActionSA went from 15% to 10%, the PA from 11% to 6% and the DA from 6% to 1%.
In conclusion, the ANC went from being the most popular party in three out of four areas in the ward – Diepkloof, Orlando East and Pennyville – to only being the most popular in one part – Diepkloof.
Orlando East and Pennyville join Emdeni as parts of Soweto where the ANC has fallen from its long-established perch.
The PA now has 11 councillors in the City of Johannesburg. The ANC fell to 89. The PA has emerged as an even more important kingmaker in mayor Dada Morero’s coalition.
Poll: 37% (45%)
Western Cape
Ward 4 (Bonnievale Happy Valley) Langeberg, Cape Winelands: ANC 47% (37%) DA 28% (32%) PA 21% (2%) LIP 4% (<1%)
The setting: Happy Valley is just north of Bonnievale. Bonnievale is known for its stone fruit and grape growing and wine producers. It forms part of the Langeberg municipality. The principal town in the area is Robertson. Bonnievale and Happy Valley sit on the R317 regional road which links Robertson with Stormsvlei and the N2 national road.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat the DA by 70 votes in Happy Valley. The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) had an impressive third-place finish with 24%. The PA was a distant fourth, getting only 25 votes in this ward.
The DA won 10 of the 23 seats to finish first, but fell short of a majority. The ANC came second with six seats and the FF+ third with three. Four other parties, including the PA, won a single seat each.
The DA is currently in a coalition with the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Langeberg Independent Party (LIP).
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC was first again here with 32%. The PA made a big statement with a 30% haul, finishing ahead of the DA on 29%. The FF+ did not even register 1% support.
The by-election: Veteran politician JJ Januarie, a former Independent Democrats (ID) mayor and ANC councillor, defected to the PA. He was also chosen as the PA candidate for the by-election. The FF+ sat out the by-election. The former FF+ candidate from 2021 was chosen as the ANC candidate for the by-election.
The ANC beat the DA by 465 votes to retain the ward and register an impressive victory for the party in the Cape Winelands. The FF+ candidate took a good chunk of the FF+ voters from 2021 along with him to the ANC. The ANC would have also won over some 2024 PA voters in this by-election.
The DA finished second here. It was a few percentage points down from 2021 but essentially mirrored its 2024 percentage showing. The PA would have expected more from its candidate, the incumbent ward councillor. While the PA’s gains, compared with 2021, are stratospheric, the party declined from 2024. This is an outlier result for the PA, because the party has impressively built on its 2024 showing across the country.
Poll: 60% (42%)
Ward 6 (Railton) Swellendam, Overberg: PA 51% (<1%) ANC 30% (52%) DA 19% (34%)
The setting: Railton sits below the N2 national road. The town of Swellendam is above the highway, lying between Riviersonderend and Heidelberg on the N2 road. The municipality of Swellendam includes the town of Barrydale and includes the Bontebok National Park.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat the DA by 185 votes, winning more than 50% of the vote. These were the only two parties to get into double percentage figures. The local Western Province Party (WPP) was third with 8%. The PA received only four votes.
The DA won an outright majority, winning six of the 11 seats. The ANC finished second with four, while the FF+ won a single seat.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC was first in the ward with 39%. The PA hurt the ANC and the DA to finish second on 31%. The DA was third with 26%.
The by-election: The ANC ward councillor, Julian Matthysen, defected to the PA. Matthysen was the ANC’s candidate in a mayoral election in February 2025. He is a former ACDP councillor who defected to the ANC a few years ago. He was chosen as the PA candidate for the by-election. Two of the three candidates carried the Matthysen surname into the by-election.
The DA lost its outright majority in the council when it lost a seat in Barrydale in 2023. The municipality is currently governed by a DA and FF+ coalition.
The PA made history by winning its first ward in the Overberg region by taking it from the ANC. The PA beat the ANC by 325 votes. The PA and Matthysen were able to win over many ANC and DA voters in this ward. It is also evident that former WPP voters also backed the PA.
The ANC fell to four seats in the Swellendam council, while the PA will have its first representative in the council.
Poll: 58% (49%)
North West
Ward 7 (Mokgola) Ramotshere Moiloa, Ngaka Modiri Molema: ActionSA 33% (35%*) ANC 33% (57%) Ind-Kgwadi 15% EFF 9% (3%) PA 5% MK 2% Labour 2%
The setting: The village of Mokgola is north of Zeerust, the seat of power in Ramotshere Moiloa. It is on the R49 regional road which links Zeerust with the Kopfontein border post, which takes you to Gaborone. Tourists travelling to the Madikwe Game Reserve pass the village of Mokgola.
The municipality is named for Kgosi Ramotshere Moiloa, who was instrumental in the Bahurutshe resistance against apartheid laws. He was deposed as chief and banished from his community for his activism.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) by 471 votes. It won five of the eight voting districts, doing best in the Sesamotho School district where it bagged 88% of the vote. The party won more than 70% of the vote in the Phakedi School and Managelo Primary School voting districts.
F4SD won the remaining three districts. The relatively populous Readira Early Learning Centre was a boon for the F4SD as it took 56% of the vote. It also carried the sparsely populated Dinaledi Early Learning Centre with more than 60% and the Nyetse Tribal Hall with 36%.
The ANC won 23 of the 37 seats in Ramotshere Moiloa, including all 19 ward seats. The EFF received more votes than the F4SD but both parties ended with five seats each. Four other parties won a single seat each. Notably, this is one of the municipalities where the FF+ received more votes than the DA.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC was dominant here, winning 68% of the vote when one considers all the districts in this ward. F4SD was second (18%) and the EFF third (7%). ActionSA and MK registered one percentage point each, while the PA received one vote.
The by-election: The ward councillor was recalled from council by the ANC with two other councillors for supporting a rival candidate for mayor. The factionalism within the ANC turned into gun violence when the bodyguards of an expelled ANC councillor engaged in a battle with the municipality’s security guards. A bodyguard for the expelled councillor was shot and wounded. There have been provincial and national interventions in the municipality to try to stabilise Ramotshere Moiloa.
This was also the first by-election in which F4SD and ActionSA fielded a candidate together under the ActionSA banner. F4SD joined ActionSA in January this year, with its leader, Mbahare Kekana, becoming deputy president of ActionSA. The ANC and ActionSA were joined on the ballot by the EFF, MK, the Labour Party, PA and an independent candidate.
ActionSA made history when it won its first by-election and first ward in North West. It beat the ANC by two votes, affirming the old adage that every vote counts.
ActionSA won three of the eight voting districts in this by-election. It did best in the Mashwelwa Primary School district, taking 47% of the vote. It took 40% in the Majabe Primary School voting district, despite finishing behind the ANC here. This was a 9% improvement on F4SD’s 2021 return here.
The ANC went from winning five of the eight voting districts to only carrying two. It won 51% at Phakedi School. It did, however, fall from 73% in 2021. ActionSA took 29%, an improvement on F4SD’s 21% in 2021. The ANC won 58% in the Majabe Primary School district, slightly down from 64% in 2021.
The independent candidate, Kenneth Kgwadi, also won two voting districts. He won 53% in the ANC stronghold around the Sesamotho Primary School district. The ANC’s vote share fell from 89% to 23%, ultimately a devastating drop which contributed to the party losing the ward. He also carried the Manogelo Primary School district with 36%. The ANC slumped from 70% to 28%. Kgwadi struggled in the six other districts.
The PA will be delighted with its first place in the Dinaledi Early Learning Centre voting district. It won 35% of the vote. ActionSA was second with 26%, but was far off F4SD’s 2021 mark of 62%. The PA battled in the seven other voting districts.
The EFF got into double percentage figures in two of the eight districts to finish fourth. MK and Labour battled here. The Labour party continues to struggle in areas beyond the platinum belt.
ActionSA will now have the only non-ANC ward councillor in Ramotshere Moiloa. While ActionSA and F4SD will be able to caucus together in council, the new ActionSA ward councillor might not be able to sit with his colleagues since F4SD remains as an entity for the duration of this local government period. The ANC now has 22 of the 37 seats in council. The party leadership in Mahikeng and Luthuli House will hope that this result will be a wake-up call for the ANC in Ramotshere Moiloa and that the party will come together and stop being sidetracked by factionalism.
Poll: 60% (59%)
Limpopo
Ward 2 (Matsale Pontdrift) Musina, Vhembe: ANC 63% (75%) DA 14% (11%) ELF-SA 8% EFF 6% (4%) BABSA 6% SACP 4%
The setting: This is in the far north of South Africa. The ward extends from Matsale township next to the town of Musina, along the border with Zimbabwe to the border with Botswana, including the Pontdrift border post, the only border post in the country where you need to use a steel cable car to cross the border when the river is full. It takes you to the Tuli area in Botswana. The ward also encompasses the Mapungubwe National Park and many farms where tomatoes, citrus, melons and chilies are grown. The area also has many game farms.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won three-quarters of the vote here for a commanding victory. It won 81% at the Beitbridge Primary district in Matsale township. While there are nine districts in the ward, this one has more than half of the total voters in the ward. The ANC won seven of the remaining eight.
The DA was the only other party to get into double percentage figures. It too won a single district, Overvlakte farm, an area with not many voters. The EFF pipped the FF+ to third place, with both parties obtaining 4%.
The ANC won 19 of the 24 available seats, including all 12 ward seats. The EFF received the second-most votes but both it and the DA won two seats each, with the FF+ taking the remaining seat.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC won 67% of the vote in a runaway victory in the districts that make up this vast ward. The DA was second on 14%, with the EFF slightly behind on 10%. Independent candidate and former champion boxer Lovemore Ndou won 2%. He finished behind the FF+ which garnered 3%.
The ANC won eight of the nine districts in the ward, tying with the DA in the Mpathaka Brombeek Farm district. The ANC was not as dominant in Matsale as it was in 2021, as the EFF made some inroads. The ANC took 71% of the vote in Matsale this time.
The by-election: The ward councillor died after a short illness. The ANC, DA and EFF were joined on the ballot by Ndou’s new party, Build a Better South Africa (BABSA), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and a breakaway from the EFF, the Economic Liberators Forum South Africa (ELF-SA).
The ANC won by a wide margin but fell below the two-thirds percentage mark in this ward. The DA had slight growth to remain the second-largest party in this ward. ELF-SA beat the EFF to third place. The EFF finished on the same percentage as BABSA, pipping them by six votes. The SACP continues to struggle in Limpopo by-elections. The party finished last in this by-election.
More than two-thirds of the votes in this by-election were cast in Matsale. The ANC’s vote share fell sharply here, from 80% to 61%. The DA came second with 11%, up from 8%, with ELF-SA third with 9%. BABSA obtained 8%, with the EFF up from 4% to 7%. The SACP took 4%. The returns in Matsale will worry the ANC the most.
Poll: 34% (33%)
Eastern Cape
Ward 15 (Echibini Mantlaneni) Dr AB Xuma, Chris Hani: ANC 69% (76%) EFF 18% (6%) UDM 6% (5%) ATM 5% (2%)
The setting: Ward 15 comprises numerous villages which sit near the R61 regional road which links Ngcobo, the seat of power in Dr AB Xuma, and the town of Mthatha. This is the home municipality of Walter Sisulu and Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi. Dr AB Xuma was one of six municipalities where the ANC won more than 80% of the vote in the Eastern Cape in 2024. It forms part of the Chris Hani district which includes the towns of Komani, Nxuba (formerly Cradock) and Cofimvaba.
The 2021 local government election: The ANC won more than three-quarters of the vote in this ward. No other party got into double percentage figures. A regional party, the Independent South African National Civic Organisation (Isanco) came second with 8%.
The ANC won more than 80% of the vote in three of the eight voting districts. It did best in the villages of Ngxogi (89%) and Makhumeni (88%).
The ANC won 32 of the 39 seats in the municipality, including all 20 ward seats. The EFF and the UDM won two each, as the EFF won the second-most votes across the municipality.
The 2024 provincial election: The ANC took 76% of the vote in the districts that make up this ward. The EFF was second with 7%, while the UDM and the ATM trailed the DA, with the UDM finishing on 4% and the ATM on 3%.
The by-election: The ward councillor was jailed for eight years for gender-based violence after assaulting three women.
This was always going to be a difficult by-election campaign for the ANC, but the party will be encouraged by its strong showing, falling just shy of the 70% mark. It won 92% at Msintsana School in the village of Makhumeni, improving on its 2021 showing of 88%. The party won 84% at Boleni School in Ngxogi, slightly off its 2021 mark.
Read more: By-elections hub
The EFF shot into double percentage figures. Its solid showing was built around taking 64% at Cefane Primary School in Mantlaneni village. The party finished well ahead of the UDM and ATM.
Poll: 44% (48%)
The next round of by-elections will be on 5 November when the ANC defends two seats. They include a super-safe seat in Fetakgomo Tubatse in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, and a tricky assignment in Embalenhle township in Secunda, in the Govan Mbeki municipality in Mpumalanga.
* Action SA was allocated the 35% of Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) in the 2021 local government election. This is because F4SD joined ActionSA in January 2025.