While around the country the ripples of the elections are still being felt, Newcastle seems to be an African National Congress stronghold.
Residents gathered earnestly early on Wednesday May 7 to get inked and cast their vote. While many were hoping for political change, it seems that Newcastllians firmly back the current government.
Pleased with the outcome of the elections, the Mayor of Newcastle posted on his Facebook page, “We (ANC) are firmly in control of this city.”
However, residents who opposed the rule of the ANC were adamant the reason for this was simply because many believed that the successes of the local municipality were a reflection of the national government.
Nationally, the ANC has lost many of its voters, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) led by former ANC youth leader, Julius Malema, have proven they are a force to be reckoned with, garnering more than a million votes out of the 17.5-million valid votes in their first ever political elections.
Although the ANC may have dropped a few votes in their strongholds of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and the Free State, the people of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape have increased their support of the ruling party.
While many critics believed the ANC would lose more votes, Democratic Alliance (DA) members have been pleased with the result.
For the first time ever, the DA is now the main opposition for the ANC in KZN.
While many pundits believe that the country is a long way away from seeing a change in the ruling party, DA leader Helen Zille, was hopeful for the future after seeing the election results.
