 |
| ANC supporters during an election rally at eMbalenhle Stadium. (Photo: Gallo Images / Foto24 / Herman Verwey) |
The ANC retained Ward 4 in eMbalenhle, a municipality in Mpumalanga, near Secunda. Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe party won the ward ballot with 44% of the vote, while the independent candidate won just under one-third of the vote. The EFF came third with 18%, and the ANC beat the EFF by 30% on the proportional representation (PR) ballot.
The ANC lost its outright majority in Govan Mbeki, losing 10 seats as it declined from 36 to 26 in the 63-seat council. The DA grew from 15 to 17, and the EFF consolidated its position as the third-largest party in the municipality by growing from nine seats to 13. The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) was fourth with a three-seat haul. The Azania Resident Party (ARP) won two seats, while the IFP and the African Transformation Movement claimed one each.
The ANC made an agreement with the EFF to ensure it continued to govern the municipality. Simphiwe Sindelo, the ward councillor, was shot dead alongside FA Nogwanya, a ward committee member, in early December. The ANC and EFF were joined on the ballot by Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party, the IFP, the local Singukukhanya Kwezwe Christian Party (SKCP), and the Truth and Solidarity Movement (TRUTH).
The ANC beat the MK Party by 244 votes, while MK won a third of the vote at Tholukwazi Primary School. At eMbalenhle Primary School, the ANC's vote went from 55% to 48%, with EFF finishing second. This result suggests that MK can compete in provinces beyond KwaZulu-Natal where Zulu is widely spoken.
Mehmet Vefa Dag's TRUTH had a poor Mpumalanga debut, with its candidate, Sabelo Nkosi, receiving zero votes. The next round of by-elections will be held on 13 March, where the ANC will defend three marginal seats in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, a safe seat in uMshwati, a competitive seat in Emfuleni (Vereeniging), and a safe seat in Moretele (Makapanstad).
