ANC wins by-elections in Nelson Mandela Bay, but EFF and MKP show significant growth

By Johnathan Paoli

The African National Congress (ANC) has successfully defended its control of ward 23 in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, securing 63.6% of the vote in Wednesday’s by-election in Motherwell.

Celebrating the win on social media platform X, the ANC thanked voters for their support.

“The ANC thanks the people of Ward 23, our volunteers, activists and supporters for delivering this important by-election victory. The ANC lives. Renewal continues,” the party tweeted.

While the party retained the seat with a strong majority, the results signalled notable political shifts in the township, with both the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) registering significant gains.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission, voter turnout for the by-election was 29%, indicating continued voter apathy in parts of the metro.

The ANC’s vote share fell from 76.3% in 2021 to 63.6%, a drop of nearly 13 percentage points, although the