ANC rues lost Western Cape municipalities
The Western Cape ANC says it will go back to the drawing board and restrategise after disappointing results in the province.
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Cape Town - The ANC in the Western Cape said disappointing municipal election results in the province meant the party had to go back to the drawing board if it had any chance of making gains in the largely DA controlled province.
By 5pm, only the results for the City of Cape Town metro were outstanding, with results from the 24 local municipalities, and five district councils, having already been declared.
The DA held on to many of its councils, and even snatched some from the rival African National Congress (ANC), something the party’s provincial executive committee (PEC) spokesman Jabu Mfusi said was heartbreaking.
“We are saddened by the fact that we lost municipalities that we led - Matzikama, Cederberg, Beaufort-West, Central Karoo District, Cape Agulhas - those are the municipalities we governed that have been won by the Democratic Alliance,” Mfusi said.
“Losing municipalities we were in charge of, its painful. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
He said the party would have to regroup and restrategise.
“We are going to go back to our drawing boards as a movement, through our provincial executive committee, to take stock of where we’ve gone wrong. What has happened? What kind of remedy we can bring?”
Mfusi congratulated the DA, and thanked ANC supporters in their traditional strongholds in the province for their continued support.
“I must say we are elated by our people for coming out in their numbers in casting their vote because this was a hard-won democracy that people have a right to choose their own government,” he said.
The DA, on the other hand, said it was humbled by the trust citizens in most of the province has placed in the party.
DA provincial chairman Anton Bredell said while the party appears to have increased its support in the province, it by no means meant they would rest on their laurels.
“We are very pleased with the outcome but is also brings a huge responsibility. Poverty is catching up with us. We will need to put in a huge effort to service the people..and with that there’s also urbanisation - 76 percent plus people in the Western Cape will move to cities and the cities must be ready for that,” said Bredell.
“There’s also population growth - we estimate an extra two million people in the next 25 years coming to the Western Cape. Are we ready? Are their resources? It’s going to be a huge pressure on our councillors to get the infrastructure right, maintain their current infrastructure, build new infrastructure and to protect our resources, that will be the challenge over the next five years.”
While the DA appeared set to retain the Cape Town metro, and possible increase its support to a more than two thirds majority, it would also most likely enter into coalitions with smaller parties in some councils where they could not secure an outright majority.
The PR (proportional representation) results for the 24 local municipalities in the Western Cape, in percentage terms, are:
* Drakenstein (DA – 65.7 %, ANC – 25.4 %, EFF – 2.3 %);
* Stellenbosch (DA – 70.85 %, ANC – 18.2 %, EFF – 3.5 %);
* Breede Valley (DA – 54.4 %, ANC – 29.9 %, Breedevallei onafhanklik – 8.4 %);
* Witzenberg (DA – 46.2 % , ANC – 33 %, Witzenberg Aksie – 5 percent);
* Langeberg (DA – 51 %, ANC – 27.3 %, People’s Democratic Movement – 4.3 percent);
* George (DA – 55.7 %, ANC -29 %, Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners – 3.3 %);
* Mossel Bay (DA – 60.8 %, ANC – 26.4 %, Icosa – 4.7 %);
* Hessequa (ANC – 46.5 %, DA – 44.5 %, FF Plus – 5.1 %);
* Bitou (DA – 48.5 %, ANC – 40.7 %, Active United Front – 5.2 %);
* Knysna (DA – 50.8 % , ANC – 33.2 %, Cope 6.3 %);
* Beaufort West (DA – 49.1 %, ANC – 41.8 %, Karoo Democratic Force – 5.1 %)
* Oudtshoorn (DA – 55.5 %, ANC – 27.1 %, Icosa 6.1 %);
* Kannaland (Icosa – 48.5 %, DA – 28.3 %, ANC – 21.8 %);
* Laingsburg (DA – 43.8 percent, ANC – 46.1 %, Karoo Ontwikkelings Party – 7 %);
* Prins Albert (DA – 33.4 %. ANC – 31 %, Karoo Gemeenskaps Party – 33 %);
* Matzikama (DA – 54.6 %, ANC – 34.7 %, United Demorats – 3.1 %);
* Cederberg (DA – 55.3 %, ANC – 35.9 %, Alliance of Democratic Congress – 5.6 %);
* Bergriver (DA – 64.1 %, ANC – 32.6 %, FF Plus – 1.7 %);
* Saldanha Bay (DA – 62.3 %, ANC – 29.8 %, EFF – 2 %);
* Swartland (DA – 71.3 %, ANC -24.3 %, EFF – 2.7 %);
* Theewaterskloof (DA – 52.3 %, ANC – 36.7 %, United Front of the Eastern Cape – 3.5 %);
* Overstrand (DA – 64.6 %, ANC – 31.2 %, EFF – 1.8 %);
* Cape Agulhas (DA – 54 %, ANC – 30.3 %, Dienslewerings Party 9.5 %); and
* Swellendam (DA – 48.3 %, ANC – 44.8 %, FF Plus – 2 %)
The City of Cape Town results were likely to be declared later on Thursday night.
African News Agency