DA causes stir with highest percentage victory at the ballot box to date
The Democratic Alliance retained Ward 14 with its candidate Elsie Vermooten achieving a record pass rate from the Gholfsig and Clubville electorate.
The DA obtained 905 votes out of a total of 937 cast during yesterday’s by-election.
It’s the highest ever percentage point win for the DA in Mpumalanga.
The party obtained almost 20% more votes, with 96.58% of the total, compared to 79.79% during the 2021 municipal elections.
Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front candidate Tinus van der Merwe received 23 votes (2.45%), while the ANC’s Mahmood Akhalwaya secured nine votes (0.96%).
The EFF’s Ntombizodwa Mthobeni received zero votes, after securing 0.96% of the votes in the ward in 2021.
The MHRF retained almost the same support than in 2021, when the forum received 2.59% of the cake, while the ANC considerably dropped from 2.89% in 2021.
At the banquet hall, 12 votes were cast for the MHRF, while the forum received 11 at the Gholfsig NG Church.
The DA scored 504 of the banquet hall votes, and 401 at the NG Church.
All nine ANC votes were cast at the NG Church voting station.
Voter turnout was considerably less than in 2021, with only 516 out of 2039 registered voters casting their ballots at the banquet hall.
A similar voter turnout was experienced at the church with only 412 voters out of 1377 registered voters casting their ballots.
Surprisingly, there were no spoilt ballots.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” an elated Ms Vermooten told Middelburg Observer following the poll.
She says she’s ready to accept the baton from Alderman Jos Pretorius who resigned earlier this year due to health reasons.
“I’ve been working alongside Alderman Pretorius for a very long time, and can only thank him for the example he set,” Ms Vermooten says.
“Thanks to the exposure I’ve gotten to know the ward’s residents and their municipal service requirements intimately, I will not let them down,” Ms Vermooten promises.
Ms Vermooten will presently also remain in her position as Steve Tshwete Constituency Chairperson.
She says she’s not overly phased by her coming swearing in ceremony “as I’ve been doing a councillors work fulltime for at least the past two months.”
“My swearing in will only confirm my loyalty and dedication to serve residents of my ward,” she says.
“I thank every voter for their support, they may have contributed to the single highest victory percentage for the DA in the country, definitely in Mpumalanga, and that is an achievement in itself, which would not have been possible without the incredible support shown, thank you.”
