So close, yet so far for ANC in Ekurhuleni

African News Agency (ANA)

So close, yet so far for ANC in Ekurhuleni
Electoral Commission of SA (IEC)

The African National Congress has come just short of winning an outright majority in the Ekurhuleni metro, managing to garner only 48.64 percent of the votes cast in Wednesday’s local government elections, giving it 109 seats in the 224-seat council.

This means the ANC will have to negotiate a coalition with another party to secure government in the municipality despite being the dominant party.

Ekurhuleni’s slip from the ANC’s grip also means the party has no ultimate control over any metro in Gauteng, as the Democratic Alliance took the majority vote in Tshwane and was making a strong showing in the preliminary count in Johannesburg, after retaining Midvaal municipality as well.

The DA came in second in Ekurhuleni with 34.15 percent and 77 seats, while the Economic Freedom Fighters took 11.23 percent and 25 seats.

At the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) national results centre in Pretoria, a jubilant EFF secretary general Godrich Gardee expressed delight that ANC mayoral candidate Mzwandile Masina might not, after all, become the metro’s mayor.

“Mzwandile has fallen,” Gardee shouted after receiving the official results.

Other parties taking seats in Ekurhuleni were the African Independent Congress, which got four seats from its 1.64 percent, the Inkatha Freedom Party got 1.02 percent and two seats, and the Freedom Front Plus also took two seats from its 0.89 percent.

The IEC was set to announce the official results of the local government elections on Saturday evening.

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SOURCEAfrican News Agency (ANA)