 and ActionSA notched historic victories that signalled shifting voter loyalties and deepening disillusionment with the African National Congress (ANC) in both urban and rural strongholds.){kind=link}
By Johnathan Paoli
South Africa’s latest round of municipal by-elections delivered dramatic political tremors on Wednesday night, as the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and ActionSA notched historic victories that signalled shifting voter loyalties and deepening disillusionment with the African National Congress (ANC) in both urban and rural strongholds.
In what some have called one of the most symbolic defeats for the ANC in Gauteng’s heartland, the PA stormed to victory in Ward 29 (Diepkloof–Noordgesig), Johannesburg, securing 30% of the vote, up from 13% in 2021.
The ANC’s support collapsed from 39% to 23%, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rose modestly to 16%.
“The streets spoke, and the message is clear: Ons Baiza Nie! Congratulations to Councillor Ismael Steenkamp and the people of Noordgesig! The Patriotic Alliance has officially WON the by-election in the City of Johannesburg,” the PA said in a celebratory post late on Wednesday.
While the ANC managed to retain several wards across Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape, its losses in Diepkloof–Noordgesig and in Ramotshere Moiloa in the North West should rattle the ruling party.
The victory was powered by two decisive voting districts in Noordgesig, where the PA crushed both the ANC and Democratic Alliance (DA).
At Noordgesig Primary, the PA captured 75% of the vote (up from 38% in 2021), while the ANC sank to 6%.
In St. Andrews Church, the PA won 64%, with the ANC trailing at 7%.
In contrast, the ANC retained all four Diepkloof districts, but even there, its margin narrowed.
In Orlando East, once a bedrock of ANC loyalty, both the EFF (33%) and ActionSA (21%) out-polled the ANC (18%).
The ANC also lost ground in Pennyville, finishing third behind the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and the African Movement Congress.
The DA’s collapse in Noordgesig, where it fell from 24% to 8%, provided fertile ground for the PA’s “green wave”.
The PA also scored a landslide win in Ward 6 (Railton), Swellendam, a rural Western Cape seat where the party had less than 1% support in 2021.
A former ANC councillor who defected to the PA earlier this year, Julian Matthysen, reclaimed the seat with 51% of the vote.
The ANC dropped sharply from 52% to 30%, while the DA slid to 19%.
“Congratulations to Councillor Julian Matthysen and the people of Ward 6! The Patriotic Alliance has once again triumphed, proving that the green wave is unstoppable!” the PA said.
In another historic upset, ActionSA clinched its first-ever seat in the North West, narrowly defeating the ANC by just two votes in Ward 7 (Mokgola), Ramotshere Moiloa.
Both parties finished on 33%, but ActionSA edged ahead on a technical count verified by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
“This historic win, against fierce competition in a rural stronghold, highlights ActionSA’s growing strength and readiness to broaden our appeal in both rural and urban communities across South Africa,” the party said over social media platform X.
The victory marks a remarkable breakthrough for ActionSA in a municipality where the ANC had won all 19 wards in 2021.
The ward was previously contested by the Forum for Service Delivery (F4SD), which joined ActionSA earlier this year.
Adding to the shock, the PA managed to win a single voting district, Dinaledi Early Learning Centre in Mokgola Village, its first in a rural North West ward.
Despite these setbacks, the ANC held firm in several by-elections across the country, maintaining its dominance in parts of the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and the Western Cape’s interior.
In Ward 15 (Echibini Mantlaneni), Dr AB Xuma Municipality in the Eastern Cape, the ANC secured 69%, down from 76%, while the EFF surged to 18% and captured a voting district in Mantlaneni.
In Ward 2 (Matsale–Pontdrift), Musina, the ANC retained the seat with 63%, though down from 75%, as the DA, Economic liberators Forum-SA, and local independent candidates gained ground.
The ANC’s Limpopo structures hailed the result as “a demonstration of the people’s continued trust in the ANC to deliver on its commitment to build better communities and improve lives”.
The ANC also held Ward 4 (Bonnievale Happy Valley) in the Langeberg Municipality with 47%, aided by a high 60% voter turnout.
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