Two municipal by-elections were held yesterday, with the African National Congress (ANC) defending both seats.

In the first by-election, held in the municipality of Fetakgomo Tubatse (Burgersfort) in Limpopo the ANC had a relatively easy day at the office. It won 71% of the vote yesterday, up from the 57% of the vote it won in the local government election (LGE) held in 2021.

In the by-election its primary challenge came from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which won 13% - a big decline from the 28% it managed in 2021.

An independent and the South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries Association each won 5% of the vote, while the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) managed 1%.

The second by-election was held in Govan Mbeki municipality (Secunda) in Mpumalanga. While the ANC defended the seat, it faced a stiffer challenge than in Limpopo.

Yesterday the ANC won 44% of the vote, down from the 48% it managed in the LGE. The Democratic Alliance (DA) put up a stiff challenge, winning 27% of the vote, up from the 19% it had secured in the 2021 LGE.

The EFF and MK also did fairly well here, winning 17% and 10% of the vote respectively.

The results show that support for the ANC remains strong in the rural areas of some provinces, which will hearten the party ahead of the next local government elections, where the party is likely to suffer big losses in many of South Africa’s urban areas. Meanwhile, the DA will be pleased with its strong support in Govan Mbeki, winning over a quarter of the vote in a township ward, where most voters are black.