By Nkhensani Chauke
The ANC emerged victorious in the Thabazimbi Local Municipality by-elections, winning 10 out of 12 wards and securing 10 seats on the council.
Despite victory, the council remains hung and this might lead to a possible coalition as no party secured an outright majority.
Wednesday’s by-elections followed the dissolution of the Thabazimbi local municipality in August, which left all council seats vacant.
The DA secured a notable presence in the Thabazimbi local municipality by-elections, clinching a total of four seats – one ward seat and three proportional representation seats.
The EFF, on the other hand, followed closely with three PR seats.
The Labour Party of South Africa also made a strong showing with two seats, comprising one ward seat and one PR seat.
Local representation was further boosted by the Thabazimbi Residents Association, which earned a single PR seat, and MK Party, which also secured one PR seat.
The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) gained two PR seats.
The newly elected councillors are expected to be sworn in early next week, with the first council meeting set to elect the mayor, speaker, and other officials.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said that the party takes the election results in Thabazimbi very seriously and was committed to addressing corruption, improving basic service delivery, and rebuilding trust in communities that have long felt neglected.
“We do not take these results lightly. They come with a clear message. We must redouble our efforts to tackle corruption, improve basic service delivery, and rebuild trust in communities that have felt neglected,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
“The ANC remains committed to confronting its shortcomings and ensuring that we deliver on the mandate entrusted to us by the people.”
EFF national spokesperson Leigh Mathys expressed gratitude to the people of Thabazimbi in Limpopo and Maquassi Hills in the North West for turning out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right in the recent municipal by-elections.
“We are particularly proud of the growing support that the EFF has received in both Thabazimbi and Maquassi Hills. In the 2021 local government elections, the EFF secured 2 seats with 10.32% of the votes in Thabazimbi, and now following these by-elections, our support has grown to 13.32%, earning us 3 council seats,” said Mathys.
“The EFF is ready to deliver radical and meaningful change in Thabazimbi and Maquassi Hills, addressing poor service delivery and corruption.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has described the outcome of the Thabazimbi municipal by-elections as a setback, as the council remains hung.
Provincial Electoral Officer Nkaro Mateta told reporters that the results reflect a lack of progress in resolving the issues that forced the dissolution of the municipality by Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba and the National Council of Provinces.
“None of these political parties obtained 50+1%, so we still have a hung council in Thabazimbi. It is as if we did not do anything to remedy the situation,” said Mateta.
She further expressed satisfaction with the lack of objections submitted by the 21 participating parties and 5 independent candidates.
“However, in terms of section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act, participants who are aggrieved about the results can still submit their objections by no later than 5pm tomorrow, 6 December 2024,” said Mateta.
She added that the commission is encouraged by the 38.55% voter turnout (19,812 votes out of 51,399), which aligns closely with the typical by-election turnout of around 40%.
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