By Johnathan Paoli
The Democratic Alliance has won its first township ward in Gauteng after narrowly defeating the ANC in Emfuleni’s Ward 28 in Evaton West, during the latest round of by-elections, while the ANC comfortably retained a key ward in Mahikeng in the North West.
The DA edged out the ANC in Wednesday’s by-election, narrowly securing 32.36% of the vote against the ANC’s 32.14%.
The result marked a dramatic shift from the 2021 local government elections, with the DA saying its support in the ward rose from 14.21% to 32.36%, while the ANC dropped from 50.90% to 32.14%.
In a statement on Thursday, DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga said the result demonstrated that voters were increasingly turning to the DA in search of functioning local government and improved service delivery.
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“This historic victory marks the DA’s first win in a township ward and represents an important step as the DA’s momentum towards this year’s Local Government Elections grows. These results confirm what we are seeing across the country: the DA is growing in every community. We are a party for all South Africans who want towns and cities that work,” Msimanga said.
The EFF also lost ground, falling from about 18% in 2021 to 12% in the by-election.
Several smaller parties also drew support in the fragmented contest, including the Patriotic Alliance (PA) on 8%, the PAC on 6%, the South African Communist Party (SACP) on 3%, the African Empowerment Forum (AEF) on 3%, and DITAU on 3%.
Turnout in the ward declined from 41% in 2021 to 36%.
Msimanga said the DA’s victory in Emfuleni reflected growing frustration over poor governance and deteriorating municipal services.
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“The DA won in Emfuleni, a former ANC stronghold, because all voters understand we are the party of jobs, the party of safety, and the party of basic services for all South Africans,” he said.
He said newly elected councillor Maki Tshabalala would now “lead the fight for better service delivery in this ward”.
While the ANC suffered a setback in Gauteng, the party delivered a far stronger performance in North West, comfortably retaining Ward 2 in Mahikeng’s Mmabatho-Masuthle area.
The ANC secured 73% of the vote, up significantly from 58% in 2021, while the EFF declined from 29% to 20%.
The United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP) finished third on 7%.
Overall turnout remained steady at 42%, matching the turnout recorded during the previous local government elections.
The result followed another strong ANC by-election performance in North West earlier this month, suggesting the party may be stabilising its support in the province after years of instability and factional battles.
Ward 2 includes parts of Mmabatho as well as three surrounding villages.
Turnout patterns, however, showed a sharp disparity between urban and rural voting behaviour.
Participation outside Mmabatho remained relatively strong, but only 15% of registered voters in Mmabatho itself cast ballots, down sharply from 39% during the 2021 local government elections.
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