By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The EFF and ActionSA may have come up just short in Soweto, but in nearby Rand West City (Bekkersdal) the former shocked the ANC.
Two by-elections were held in Gauteng – Ward 29 in Rand West City and Ward 53 in Soweto Protea Glen.
The EFF obtained 55% in Rand West City, a 30% increase from its support in the municipal elections.
The ANC managed 40% – a 20% decline from last year.
This year, the EFF won two wards from the ANC, breaking the ANC’s hold in the Northern Cape’s Phokwane Local Municipality.
This is the third ward the EFF has managed to secure from the ANC in by-elections this year.
The ANC retained Ward 53 in Soweto but the party showed a decline in support to below 50%.
ActionSA made the most significant inroads in ward 53 when it gained 17% of the vote, beating out the EFF and the DA – which obtained 14% and 3%, respectively. The ANC won the ward by 58%.
In November’s local government elections, ActionSA gained 17% of the vote in the ward.
The party stunned many in its first elections, and its provincial leader, John Moodey who drove around in a marked ActionSA branded bakkie, said the party hoped to improve on this performance.
Like many by-elections this year, he added, this would be a test case for the party on whether it could sustain its first-year gains.
ActionSA ran a small call centre leading up to the by-election.
“We believe the 17% we got in 2021 is not a true reflection of what people want in this ward. Now is the opportunity to show the support we have in this metro.We are running a very sleek and cheap campaign. Small as we are, we can get into the ring with the giants.
“To us, it is a barometer on our support and whether it is sustainable. As long as we see growth, we show that we are more than newcomers,” Moodey said.
The next round of by-elections will be on 15 June when the ANC defends a safe seat in Mnquma (Butterworth) in the Eastern Cape.