The DA retained ward 30 in Govan Mbeki Municipality by increasing their winning margin to 95,8%.
Only three parties contested the November 11, by-election namely the DA, Anc and the EFF with the FF+ opting to put all their efforts into the by-election in Emalahleni.
Terry-Lee Kleynhans has now been elected as the new DA councillor representing ward 30 in GMM.
The results are as follow:
Hoërskool Secunda voting Station:
- Democratic Alliance (DA) 389
- African National Congress (ANC) 5
- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 0
Laerskool Kruinpark
- Democratic Alliance (DA) 872
- African National Congress (ANC) 43
- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 12
Total
- Democratic Alliance (DA) 1261 (95,8)
- African National Congress (ANC) 43 (3,3%)
- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 12 (0.9%)
The Democratic Alliance also won the by-election in Emalahleni with 677 votes followed by the FF+ with 507 votes. The ANC managed 311 votes followed by the EFF at 107 and AFCO with 18 votes.
In the Eastern Cape, the DA managed to win ward 11 in The Walter Sisulu Municipality. This ward was previously held by the ANC. Previous percentages is ANC 52,7% and the DA 32,7%. The DA now has 44,3% and the ANC 40,4% in the ward.
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The day started with good voter turnout at Laerskool Kruinpark but poor voter turnout at Hoërskool Secunda voting station. The total voter turnout for the day was very low with only 31% of the eligible voters casting their votes.
The steady flow continued at Laerskool Kruinpark. Cold weather and rain could also have influenced the voter patterns.
“We would like to congratulate Terry-Lee on her election as a councillor to Govan Mbeki Municipality,” said Mariaan Chamberlain, Constituency Chairperson for GMM, “The DA put a lot of effort into this by-election to ensure that the residents of ward 30 get the best possible candidate for their ward.”
“We now have an extra voice in councill!” she concluded.
The by-elections were held under strict new COVID-19 protocols aimed at ensuring the safety of voters, election staff, party agents, observers and other stakeholders. These included implementing strict social distancing practices outside and inside voting stations along with the use of hand sanitisers as voters entered and exited the voting station.
Voters, election staff and all those entering the voting station were required to wear a mask at all times. Voters were also encouraged to bring their own pens to mark their ballot papers, although pens were provided and sanitized after each use.
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The day was not without incident as the EFF tried to intimidate the DA into moving their party branding to make space for the EFF. This did not work as the DA stood their ground. The EFF had to be content with the space that was left.
