IEC lauds the electorate for a largely incident-free local by-election
Nationally, 95 wards were contested with the ANC retaining 64 wards, losing two and winning six new wards. The DA retained 14 wards, lost nine and won two new wards.
The Inkatha Freedom Party retained four wards and won one new ward. The Patriotic Alliance won one new ward while the Good Party won one new ward , along with Al Jama-Ah.
The Freedom Front Plus won one new ward and the National Freedom Party lost one ward while the United Front of Civics Party lost one ward.
“Of the five wards that were contested in Mpumalanga, the ANC retained three seats and the DA retained two seats. Voter turnout in the province on average was 29.94 per cent,” she continued.
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“Protests over service delivery targeted voting stations in these areas, including blocking the access to voting stations of both election officials and voters.
“Through the intervention of the SAPS along with provincial and municipal leaders, voting was able to finally get underway at around midday.
“The Commission supports the right of communities to protest peacefully in a manner that does not infringe on the rights of citizens to vote and to voice their views through democratic processes.”
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The ruling party’s Mpumalanga spokesperson, Sasekani Manzini, hailed the elections as a ‘critical achievement for this important institution of democracy’ amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“We welcome the outcomes of the by-elections and affirm that they do indeed represent the will of the people in the different wards wherein the by-elections took place,” she said.
