The ANC has successfully defended two crucial wards in Mpumalanga during the by-elections held on August 28 2024. Its Ehlanzeni Region hailed the victory as a clear rejection of the EFF’s controversial campaign tactics.
ANC Ehlanzeni Region Secretary, Folas Sibuyi, did not mince his words as he expressed satisfaction with the results. The NC retained its seats in Steve Tshwete’s Ward 10 and Nkomazi’s Ward 17.
“We did say that the EFF is attacking our regional chairperson because they are running out of ideas whenever they are frustrated by their own internal challenges,” Sibuyi said.
Blames EFF’s strategy
Sibuyi was referring to the EFF’s campaign focus on labelling ANC Ehlanzeni Region chairperson, Jackie Macie, as a Mozambican. It’s an accusation the ANC dismissed as desperate and unfounded.
“They were nowhere to be seen. But they were always telling ill-informed stories that Comrade Jackie is not a South African citizen. We cannot keep on clarifying the citizenship of Comrade Jackie,” he said.
The by-elections, held across six provinces, saw the ANC and DA each retaining multiple wards. The ANC won five out of the 14 contested seats nationwide.
In Mpumalanga, the ANC’s Bhekumuzi Sunboy Makhubela secured a decisive victory in Nkomazi’s Ward 17. It won with 81.09% of the votes A significant increase from the 65.25% obtained during the 2021 Municipal Elections.
In Steve Tshwete’s Ward 10, Macaleni Paulos Mnisi retained the seat for the ANC, with 51.57% of the votes.
Attack on ANC leaders cost EFF
Sibuyi attributed the ANC’s success to its focus on real issues affecting communities. This contrasted it with the EFF’s strategy.
“Instead of campaigning for their party, they are busy attacking ANC leaders,” Sibuyi said.
EFF chairperson in Mpumalanga, Collen Sedibe, attributed the loss to low voter turnout.
Voter turnout in Nkomazi was at a measly 29,88%, while 46,76% of voters turned out in Steve Tshwete.
“The EFF didn’t perform well in both the by-elections there by declining in Ward 17 Nkomazi and in Ward 10 Steve Tshwete due to low turnout,” Sedibe said.
“All is not lost. Ours is to go back to the ground and build solid branches and support base.”
Sedibe added that voters in Mpumalanga traditionally don’t pay much attention to by-elections. This is because they are more familiar with either general elections or local municipality elections across the nation.
“The EFF has its own traditional voters. And it performed very well in these two wards during the 2024 general elections,” he said.
EFF blames low voter turnout
“Generally, many voters don’t participate in by-elections. This is due to various reasons like work commitment, among other things.”
Fourteen municipal ward by-elections took place across the nation. This is including in Mpumalanga, the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Western Cape.
Nationally, the DA also saw significant victories. It retained six seats and winning an additional ward previously held by the ANC. Voter turnout varied across the provinces, with some wards experiencing significantly lower participation rates. This compared to the 2021 Municipal Elections.
Kate Bapela, national spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), confirmed the results. She said the by-elections in Mpumalanga were necessary due to the deaths of councillors in both wards.
Bapela highlighted the importance of these elections in maintaining local governance stability.
“The ANC retained five of its seats. This while the DA also retained six seats and won a seat in the by-elections held on 28 August 2024,” Bapela said.
