High-stakes by-elections for DA, ANC in George and Mangaung

It is a make-or-break ward by-election for the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State’s Mangaung Metro and in George, Western Cape.

Eleven by-elections will take place on Wednesday in five provinces – including KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and the North West.

The stakes are so high that accusations of voter registration fraud in George and the use of state resources to lure Mangaung voters have been levelled against the DA and ANC respectively.

The by-elections are critical for South Africa’s two biggest political parties to hold onto power in the two councils.

Mangaung up for grabs

Four candidates in Mangaung are former ANC councillors who went independent after their expulsion in May.

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The now-independent councillors are going head-to-head against their former party in wards 7, 29, 49 and 50.

For the ANC, this by-election could echo the aftermath of the 2021 polls in Maluti-A-Phofung, when 16 expelled ANC councillors regrouped and took over.

Ward 7 independent candidate Chabedi Rampai says fixing Mangaung’s problems should start with the overhauling of its administration.

“Mangaung’s problems emanate from Glasshouse [municipal offices], that’s where our major problems are.

“If we don’t sort out how the municipality is run, we won’t resolve anything,” he told Free State FM this week.

He said he needed support and time from residents to help change the corruption-plagued metro.

“There is sewage everywhere in my ward, Freedom Square is covered by rubbish.

“And I believe I started doing something to address ward 7 people’s needs and I was not going to abandon them after my expulsion.

“We are determined to retain these four wards as independents, but it is only through the support of the residents that we can achieve that.

“I am not promising people of Ward 7 miracles, I am asking them to give me a little time to clean up the mess,” Chabedi said.

IFP throws hat into the ring

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) pulled a surprise and held campaign rallies in the metro.

Fresh from signing a service delivery pact with the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, the IFP said it is hoping to build support outside its Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal support base.

Their ‘Re a hlola’ rallies continued across other wards on Tuesday.

The IFP will contest two wards in the Mangaung by-elections.

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Other parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the DA, also ramped up their campaign in all four wards.

The ANC controls Mangaung with the help of smaller parties.

DA wants control of George

Seats in Wards 16, 20 and 27 in George became vacant after three of the four GOOD Party councillors dumped the party for the DA three months ago.

However, one of the councillors, Richard Hector, made a U-turn and rejoined GOOD.

He returns as the party’s candidate for Ward 27.

But the DA is facing fierce competition from Patricia de Lille’s GOOD and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), who are leaving no stone unturned to increase support in the Garden Route.

PA leader Gayton McKenzie has been in George for weeks leading party activities across the municipality.

GOOD lays complaint with IEC

GOOD alleged over the weekend that the DA committed voter registration fraud in George.

According to party secretary-general Brett Herron, DA canvassers falsely registered voters from Thembalethu as residents of Ward 20, in Borcherds.

“On Monday, GOOD received new evidence of 188 voters all registered on the voter’s roll at the same address in Ward 16.

“It is unthinkable that 188 adults could live in the small house, in what a simple scan of Google Maps reveals to be a small single-storey dwelling.

“Unfathomable that the IEC failed to detect the aberration.”

The party has since submitted its complaint to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), further requesting that the by-elections be postponed.

The IEC said it was investigating the matter.

DA provincial leader Tertuis Simmers accused GOOD of being “anxious and scrambling to find fault”.

“We suggest that GOOD and the ANC not waste any more of residents’ time and let us get back to business.

“There is work to be done to restore service delivery that has been waning in these wards under GOOD. Our aim is to win all three wards and we will not be distracted.”

The DA governs George through a coalition with the Freedom Front Plus.

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