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The ANC has continued its streak of wins in recent by-elections after it won four wards from the DA in different places across the country.
These included a ward in Makana in the Eastern Cape, where 22-year-old Mzobanzi Nkwentsha, a Rhodes University student, became the newly elected ward 12 councillor in Makana.
The ward had been held by the DA since 2000.
However, after Wednesday’s election, the ANC got 54% while the DA received 34% and the EFF managed 12% of the vote, giving the ANC a clear victory.
Nkwentsha praised the university and the local community for their support, but said that more would need to be done.
He identified high rentals for accommodation in the area as a serious problem and one that he would like to address.
He also said he would propose a policy to regulate rentals so that they were more affordable for students.
The voter turnout for this ward during the 2016 municipal elections was 39.82% and the DA candidate won the ward with 67.68% of valid votes.
The ANC said in a statement that the citizens will not be disappointed for having made the right choice by putting the ANC first.
“We took this ward from the DA. Congratulations to the new ward councillor,” the party said.
The by-election was contested by three candidates – Nkwentsha from the ANC, Angela Peta Jones from the DA and Simphiwe Mbonda from the EFF.
The ward councillor’s position became vacant as a result of the DA councillor’s resignation.
The ANC on Thursday said that it will now intensify its effort to engage all constituencies with a view to accelerate service delivery and transformation.
The DA also lost Benoni in Gauteng, Msunduzi in KwaZulu-Natal, and Hantam in the Northern Cape.
All three wards were won by the ANC.
‘Renewed ANC confidence’
Last month, the ANC won ward 109 in Johannesburg from the DA.
READ: Ward victory is ‘a sign of renewed confidence in the ANC’
The ward encompasses the suburbs of Morningside and Wendywood in Sandton, the informal settlement of S’jwetla in Alexandra – where more than 80 homes were demolished by the Red Ants in May – and Marlboro Gardens, Marlboro and Kelvin.
The ANC said these successes are just the beginning as the party intensifies its role of leading society.
