ANC loses outright control of Mangaung for the first time as DA nips at its heels - News24

The ANC has lost outright control of Mangaung, shedding some 17 percent off its vote share in the metro. In a photo finish, it took just 1 924 more votes than the DA.

With all votes counted, the ANC secured 33.91% of the vote, narrowly ahead of the DA on 33.48%. The EFF finished third with 8.6%, or 38 553 votes.

The results leave the ANC with 36 of the 101 council seats and the DA with 33 after a fiercely contested poll.

Neither party has the 51 seats required for an outright majority, which the ANC had held until now after winning 50.63% of the vote in 2021.

The EFF holds nine seats, the FF Plus holds six, the Patriotic Alliance (PA) holds four, ActionSA holds three, and the SACP holds two.

Although the counting process is complete and all votes have been captured, the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) official announcement of the final result is only expected on Sunday.

The ANC won 36 of Mangaung’s 51 wards, while the DA secured 13, the PA one and the EFF one.

The EFF took Ward 49 in Thaba Nchu from the ANC, while the DA gained Wards 9 and 47 from the governing party. The PA retained Ward 16 in Heidedal.

At one point in the counting process on Friday, the DA held a lead of some 20 000 votes before the ANC’s support in Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu helped it edge ahead.

The ANC’s declining support was particularly evident in areas that had previously been strongholds, with the party losing substantial ground in wards where it had secured more than 70% of the vote in 2021.

Free State ANC provincial chairperson Mxolisi Dukwana acknowledged that the results reflected growing frustration among residents, saying the party needed to confront its failures in government.

“Our people relate to democracy through their own experiences. If they experience [poor] service delivery, this is how they perceive their democracy, and they now stand up and speak in the manner in which they have spoken,” he said.

Dukwana said the ANC needed to acknowledge where it had gone wrong and have the courage to correct its mistakes.

He said the party would approach any potential coalition with caution, prioritising stability and its ability to implement the commitments made to voters.

Mangaung is one of the municipalities that was affected by the ANC’s failure to submit its candidate lists as final, which left more than 180 of the party’s candidates off the ballot until the Constitutional Court handed it a reprieve.

For the DA, the results represented both a significant improvement and a missed opportunity to take control of the metro.

DA mayoral candidate Werner Pretorius described the outcome as bittersweet, citing the party’s growth from 26% in 2021 to nearly 34%.

“We are very, very happy and fortunate that we were able to grow close to 8% in Mangaung. So that’s fantastic growth for the DA, going from 26% to 34%, but it’s very unfortunate that we are just slightly behind the ANC by 0.5%,” he added.

Pretorius said the narrow margin demonstrated the importance of every vote.

The DA has lodged a dispute relating to Ward 19, which Pretorius said could have a substantial impact on the election outcome.

He said the party would now assess its options with its provincial leadership and negotiation team, considering whether to join a coalition government or remain in opposition to best serve residents.

“We are saying we want to see municipalities working,” he said, adding that the party intended to continue pushing for improved service delivery regardless of its position in the council.

The EFF is open to coalition discussions with any party willing to implement its policies.

Free State EFF chairperson Coach Liphoko said the party was satisfied with its performance and thanked voters for their support.

With the ANC’s 36 seats falling well short of a majority, and the DA’s 33 seats leaving it in a similarly dependent position, the EFF and smaller parties are set to play an important role in determining the metro’s next administration.

Mangaung has been under Section 139(7) national government intervention since April 2022 amid persistent failures in governance and service delivery.

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