ANC cruises to by-election victory

Vote of confidence … Provincial secretary William Bulwane says poll victory shows electorate backs ANC policies and programmes

The Free State has welcomed its overwhelming victory in a by-election held this week in Ward 10 in Kroonstad, Moqhaka Local Municipality, saying the win was yet another vote of confidence by South Africans in the ruling party and its policies.

In a statement, provincial secretary William Bulwane said the victory — in which the party saw its support surging by a whopping 23 percent from the 71.25 percent of the vote by which it won the ward in 2011 to 87.50 percent of the vote it clinched in Wednesday’s contest — provided another platform for the ANC to consolidate its back-to-back basics programme.

“This (victory) is another indication of the confidence of our people in the ANC, its policies, strategies and government,” Bulwane said.
He added: “The ANC government assures all the people that we shall work tirelessly to build a caring, responsive, people-driven, accountable, and effective local government. The victory we received provides another platform for us to consolidate the back-to-basics programme.”

Launched by President Jacob Zuma last year, the back-to-basics strategy seeks to place municipalities at the forefront of delivering essential services to South Africans, while also ensuring the local authorities play a key role in promoting economic growth and job creation in their communities.

Bulwane pointed out that the poll victory was made the sweeter by the fact that the ANC had fielded one of its youngest candidates in an election of such importance.
Mpho Samuel Chakane, who successfully represented the ruling party in the poll, is only 33 years old.

Bulwane, who also used the statement to congratulate Chakane on his victory, said the fact that the ANC had nominated him to represent it showed the party’s commitment to, “the African Union’s Decade of Youth Development (2008-2018), as resolved in the 53rd conference held in Mangaung in 2012.”

Ward 10 became vacant after the previous councilor, who was also from the ANC, died.
Meanwhile the ANC also retained ward 29 in the Steve Tshwete (Middleburg) local authority with Maria Nomgqibelo Mathibela taking the seat that had become vacant after the death of the previous councillor.

The ruling party again kept ward four in Magreng (Warrenton) where its candidate Angus Kadea Zalisa emerged victorious. The seat became vacant after the last councillor resigned.
The DA was able to retain its seats in ward five in Emfuleni (Vereeniging), in Gauteng, where the opposition’s Phillipus Nothnagel was elected new councilor.

The DA also retained ward five in Theewaterskloof (Caledon), in the Western Cape, with Cornelius Marthinus Lamprecht taking the seat.
Both wards become empty after the previous DA councillors resigned.