ANC Secures Majority In Thabazimbi By-Elections, Zuma's Party Wins One Seat
The African National Congress (ANC) has emerged victorious in the by-elections held in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, South Africa on Wednesday.
The by-elections were triggered by the dissolution of the Thabazimbi Local Municipality, which left all council seats vacant.
With over 51,000 registered voters eligible to participate, voting took place across 57 stations in the region. A total of 405 candidates from 21 political parties and five independents contested the 24 available seats.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in Limpopo, 19,812 people cast their ballots in the by-elections.
Addressing the media on Thursday, December 05, IEC electoral provincial officer for Limpopo Nkaro Mateta said:
This falls within the range of our normal by-election turnout of around 40%.
The ANC secured 39.65% of the vote, winning 10 council seats, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) followed with 16.41%, earning four seats.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gained three seats with 13.32%, and both the Labour Party of South Africa and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) obtained two seats each.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) and Thabazimbi Residents Association (TRA) each secured one seat.
Despite the ANC’s victory, no party achieved an outright majority, resulting in a hung council and the need for coalitions.
In the 2021 local elections, the ANC had won 11 out of 12 wards but lacked an overall majority, leading to DA control of the municipality through a coalition with smaller parties.
This shift reflects a growing trend of hung councils in South Africa, with the number of such councils increasing significantly from 29 in 2000 to 82 in 2021.
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