ANC, DA anc IFP win by-elections
2012-08-02 15:55
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Johannesburg - The ANC has won eight by-elections, the DA three and the IFP two, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Thursday.
According to IEC results released on Thursday, the only party which did not retain its seat in the by-elections was the National Freedom Party, which lost ward eight of the UPhongolo (Pongola) municipality, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The IFP candidate, Mbhekiseni Cyprian Nkumane, beat the NFP's Mpisiyakhe Excellent Nkosi by 18 votes to win the UPhongolo ward with 628 votes.
The NFP, which was founded by the IFP's former chairperson Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, had won the ward in the May 2011 local government elections.
By-elections were held on Wednesday in all provinces except the North West, the IEC said in a statement on Monday.
A total of 40 702 voters were registered in the 11 wards and 56 voting districts.
Two of the candidates in the by-elections ran independently. The rest represented nine political parties.
In other KwaZulu-Natal results, the IFP retained ward five in the Umtshezi (Estcourt) municipality, where Sithandile Mlambo won with 39.8% of the vote.
In 2011, the previous councillor won with 45.57% of the vote.
Ward two in the Ntambana municipality was won by the ANC's Nhlanhla Mnqayi with 46.49% of the vote.
The DA's Barend Hancke won ward nine of the Abaqulusi (Vryheid) municipality with 72.75% of the vote. In May 2011 the DA won the ward with 57.25% of the vote.
ANC candidates won all three Eastern Cape by-elections in wards 11, 19 and 23 of Mhlontlo (Qumbu) municipality.
The winning candidates were Isaac Tshungwan, Given Kibiet and Zolile Feni.
The winning margins of 98.27% and 98.59% in wards 11 and 23 were slightly up on the results obtained during the May 2011 local government elections. Ward 19 was uncontested.
In the Free State, the sole ward up for by-election was ward 18 in the Ngwathe (Parys) municipality and this was won by the DA's Pieter la Cock, with 89.7% of the vote.
In Limpopo, the sole ward up for by-election, ward 27 in the Greater Tubatse (Burgersfort, Ohrigstad, Eastern Tubatse) municipality, was won by the ANC's Musa Andrew Tshehla with 75.9 percent of the vote.
In Gauteng, ward 12 in the Lesedi (Heidelberg) municipality was uncontested. Bongani Abram Simelane (ANC) was the only candidate.
Ward two in Govan Mbeki (Highveld Ridge) municipality, in Mpumalanga, was won by Danisile Lebo Tlou (ANC) with 68.59 percent of the vote. In the May 2011 elections the ANC candidate won the ward with 87.47 percent of the vote.
In the Northern Cape, ward one in the Phokwane (Hartswater) municipality was won by the ANC's Kgomotsego Mokale with 78.51 percent of the vote.
In the Western Cape, ward six in the Swartland (Malmesbury) municipality was won by the DA's Michael Adolph Rangasamy, with 54.3 percent of the vote.
Voter turnout in the various municipalities ranged from a high of 68.37 percent in Umtshezi to a low of 23.64 percent in Greater Tubatse.
In a statement, DA leader Helen Zille said the results from the four by-elections the party contested were "a clear indication that our party continues to grow in all communities across South Africa".
The IFP's KZN legislature caucus leader Blessed Gwala said he was delighted with the outcome.
"The outright victories in uMtshezi and uPhongola once again proves that the ANC/NFP coalition is on the wane. The IFP is proud to have withstood their total onslaught."
- SAPA
