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The ANC has retained power in the troubled Mamusa Local Municipality in the North West despite losing one proportional representation seat. The EFF was the biggest winner, scoring three more seats than it previously had.
The governing party did not lose any of the eight wards it won in 2016. Three proportional representation (PR) seats were added to its tally to give it a total of 11 seats in the council.
But the party only scored two PR seats in Wednesday’s by-elections, leaving it with 10 council seats, which was just what it needed to lead the 18-seat, nine-ward Mamusa council.
Briefing the media at Luthuli House on the party’s by-election performance, ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula said it was time to fix things in Mamusa.
The municipality was dissolved after longstanding feuds in the council including rifts between ANC councillors.
The dissolution came at the time when service delivery and administration in the area had been seriously affected. Some areas had taps that had been dry for years as residents relied on water delivered by tanker trucks. Sewage spills and uncollected rubbish were among the other serious challenges.
READ: ‘Why must I vote when I still queue for water?’
Mbalula said their mandate was to assist all the struggling municipalities, including Mamusa.
He said turning things around in a municipality “can’t happen if cadres deployed are obsessed with tenders and themselves, and deviate from a mandate of what is expected of them – to serve our people”.
He said the ANC had taken a different approach: candidates were scrutinised and those who made the cut were the ones who “resonate with the people and the people know them”.
Meanwhile, the ninth ward – which was previously held by the DA – was won by the Freedom Front Plus. The latter failed to win any PR seats. While the celebratory mood was gradually setting in around areas like Ipelegeng township and Schweizer Reneke, the EFF also expressed its appreciation for the support it had received, resulting in its improved performance.
“The EFF more than doubled its votes in six of the nine wards, while maintaining satisfactory growth in the rest. The EFF grew from two to five seats in the council. This has placed the ANC with a simple majority, leading with only two councillors,” said EFF spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
“We note this as a significant statement of qualitative and quantitative growth. A sign that people’s confidence in EFF, a movement that is only six years old, is growing at a supersonic and alarming speed.”
Compared with other parties, the ANC had still recorded a big margin with its victory, although there was a marginal drop noted in some wards compared with the 2016 local government elections.
The ANC had 11 seats in the dissolved council followed by Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) with three, the EFF with two and the DA and Freedom Front Plus with one each.
The F4SD, which lost the three PR seats it won in 2014, said it was ready for the next elections round.
The party would not have to pay its ward candidates the R100 000 it had promised to any of them who won a ward.
“These elections were hotly contested and we gave it our level best. But this is not the end of the world as 2021 local government elections is coming and we will be at it once more,” F4SD leader Mbahare Kekana said.
Tumelontle Thiba, head of the IEC in the North West, said counting was concluded around 8.30am on Thursday and by 10.30am the consolidating of results was completed.
She said they were hoping for only 5000 of the 28000 registered voters in Mamusa to vote in the by-elections but that had more than doubled.
“Voter turnout was at about 13 300, which is 47% of the voter population. The by-elections were very interesting and highly contested indeed,” Thiba said.
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