The African Content Movement (ACM) leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng says the party’s strong showing in Maluti-a-Phofung reflects growing support, a stark contrast to the previous local government elections, where it secured a mere 0% of the vote and just two proportional representation seats, and 0% of the vote during the previous local government elections.
The ACM has emerged as a surprise contender in the Free State’s local government elections, with the party climbing to second place in Maluti-a-Phofung as counting continues.
The municipality, located within the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality services Qwaqwa, Harrismith and Kestell.
READ: ACM leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng dishes out ‘guaranteed jobs’ to potential voters
ACM growth and support base
Motsoeneng told Sunday World on Thursday that he was delighted with the performance, describing the initial results as evidence that the organisation was growing and gaining traction across the troubled eastern Free State municipality.
In an interview conducted as the election results were being tallied, the ACM leader said that even though the African National Congress (ANC) was still leading as counting still continued, he was still optimistic that his party would accumulate enough votes to pull ahead.
READ: Hlaudi on a high and raring to fill Free State’s Phuthaditjhaba stadium
“The ANC is leading at the moment and ACM is right the behind with massive numbers. We are still at it and we are going to wait for the final vote count and decide a way forward,” said Motsoeneng.
The ACM’s rise marks a significant milestone for the relatively smaller political formation, which appears to be making inroads in a municipality where political dominance has traditionally been fiercely contested.
In the 2021 local elections, ACM won two seats in the Maluti-A-Phofung and the party’s representative was also elected as the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chairperson, holding the municipality to account.
Dedication and hard work pays off
Motsoeneng attributed the party’s performance to the efforts of its members and campaign team, saying they deserved recognition for the work they had put into building the organisation.
“I’m very happy because as my team did very well. Credit should go to my team and members of the party who worked tirelessly throughout campaigning,” he said.
He said the results demonstrated that the ACM was making substantial progress in Maluti-a-Phofung and that its support base was expanding.
“It shows that the organisation is growing big time in Maluti-a-Phofung,” he said.
Four-way political battle
The ACM leader described the emerging contest in Maluti-a-Phofung as a battle involving several political formations, with the ANC, Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters among the key contenders.
He also acknowledged the presence of MAP16, which he said was occupying fourth position in the emerging results.
The developing contest could signal a more fragmented political landscape in the municipality, where established parties are facing competition from smaller formations seeking to capitalise on voter dissatisfaction and local political dynamics.
For the ACM, however, the immediate priority appears to be consolidating its gains and translating its emerging electoral support into a stronger political presence.
While the party leader celebrated the apparent breakthrough, the final tally will determine whether the ACM can sustain its second-place position and convert its performance into meaningful representation in the municipality.
- The African Content Movement (ACM) leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng says the party’s strong showing in Maluti-a-Phofung reflects growing support, a stark contrast to the previous local government elections, where it secured a mere 0% of the vote and just two proportional representation seats, and 0% of the vote during the previous local government elections.
- The ACM has emerged as a surprise contender in the Free State’s local government elections, with the party climbing to second place in Maluti-a-Phofung as counting continues.
- The municipality, located within the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality services Qwaqwa, Harrismith and Kestell.
- READ: ACM leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng dishes out ‘guaranteed jobs’ to potential voters ACM growth and support base Motsoeneng told Sunday World on Thursday that he was delighted with the performance, describing the initial results as evidence that the organisation was growing and gaining traction across the troubled eastern Free State municipality.
- In an interview conducted as the election results were being tallied, the ACM leader said that even though the African National Congress (ANC) was still leading as counting still continued, he was still optimistic that his party would accumulate enough votes to pull ahead.
