Overwhelming victory for ANC, but cracks appear

The African National Congress scored an overwhelming victory in the local government elections in Vhembe, only conceding one of the 126 ward seats. The party did, however, lose support among voters in general and in Makhado the ANC’s popularity fell to 74,86%, compared to the 85,4% of voter support the party enjoyed during the 2011 local elections.

It was only in Ward 8 in Makhado where the Democratic Alliance’s Brian du Plooy could beat his ANC opponent, Dick Khosa. Du Plooy gathered 59,66% of the votes in this ward. In the New Municipality, one ward was allocated to an independent candidate, based on the election formula in place.

The voter turnout was not exceptional and hovered just above 45%. Musina voters were the most eager to draw their crosses and out of the 43 282 registered voters, 23 854 (55,10%) turned up. In Makhado, the turnout stood at 45,87%, with 83 683 of the 182 361 registered voters arriving at the booths. A similar scenario played out in Thulamela, where 104 408 (45,92%) of the 227 096 registered voters exercised their democratic right.

The New Municipality, marred by protest action over the past couple of months, surprised everyone by still registering a 45,33% voter turnout. Out of the 158 218 registered voters, 71 827 opted to vote. It was clear that some wards were more prone to pressure than others, scoring exceptionally low voter turnouts. In Ward 14, for example, only 124 votes were cast while only 108 voters arrived at the booths in Ward 13.

When comparing the final figures, it becomes clear that the opposition political parties made inroads into breaking the ANC’s stronghold in the region. In the Makhado Municipality, the ANC drew 61 211 votes (75,14%) on the Proportional Representative (PR) list. During the 2011 elections, the party attracted 94 863 votes (86,47%) of the PR votes. A direct comparison is, however, not possible, because of the changes in the municipal boundaries. Part of the Makhado Municipality was demarcated into the New Municipality.

In Makhado, the DA is now the official opposition, luring 11,3% of the votes. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) ended third with 8,8% of the voter support. In spite of the changes in boundaries, the DA took their PR support from 7178 votes (6,54%) in 2011 to 9 272 (11,26%) in 2016. The EFF has 7 343 supporters who voted for the party on the PR list. One of the biggest losers this year was COPE. The party could only attract 702 PR votes, compared to the 4 527 in 2011.

The subtle swing in votes made a dramatic difference to the composition of the Makhado Council. The ANC used to hold 64 of the 75 available seats in the council. The party has lost eight seats and will have 56 councillors for the next five years. The DA increased its tally from five to nine, while the newcomers, the EFF, will have seven seats. The ACDP, COPE, and the Ximoko Party will each have one councillor.

In Thulamela, the ANC also “lost” about 32 000 votes on the PR list when one looks at the 2011 results. Again, a direct comparison is difficult because of the change in municipal boundaries. The ruling party attracted 81 728 (79,35%) of the PR votes. The official opposition in this council is now the EFF, attracting just over 10% (10 346) of the PR votes. The DA is third, ending with 4 806 (4,67%) of the PR votes. For the DA, it is a slight improvement on the 4 424 (3,38%) votes the party attracted in 2011.

The ANC holds 64 of the 81 available seats in the Thulamela Municipality. This is slightly fewer than the 70 the party won in 2011. The EFF will introduce eight of the party’s councillors to the new council, while the DA will send four of its members. Other parties that managed to win seats are the ACDP (1), COPE (1), International Revelation Congress (1) and the PAC of Azania (1).

In Musina, the ANC won 18 of the 24 seats. In 2011 the party won 9 of the 12 available seats. The ANC registered 17 506 (74,29%) PR votes, compared to the 7 839 (76,98%) in 2011. The new municipal demarcation favoured Musina Municipality, in that there are now more voters and also more seats in the council. The DA is the official opposition with 3 030 (12,86%) of the PR votes. The EFF made good inroads with 2 322 (9,85%) of the PR votes. The DA and EFF both have three representatives each on the new council.

In the New Municipality, the ANC took 60 of the 71 available seats. The party collected 59 499 (84,41%) of the PR votes. The party’s closest rival was the EFF, collecting 6 216 (8,82%) of the PR votes. The DA was third, luring 1 752 (2,49%) of the PR votes. The newly formed Malamulele Community Association could only attract 274 PR votes. The EFF will have six representatives on the new council, while the DA will have two. Other parties that won a seat each are the ACDP and the Ximoko Party. A seat was also allocated to an independent ward councillor, based on the prescribed formula.

Date:13 August 2016

By: Anton van Zyl

Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.

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