Three by-elections were held across the country yesterday, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) defending one seat, but losing two to the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

In Tshwane the DA fought off a strong challenge from the Freedom Front Plus (FF+). In a low turnout election, where only about 20% of registered voters came out to cast a ballot, the DA won 53% of the vote – down from the 59% it won in the 2021 local government election (LGE).

The FF+ won 44% yesterday, up from the 16% it won in 2021.

The only other challenger on Wednesday was the African National Congress (ANC). It managed only 2%, down from the 8% it won in 2021.

It was a different story in George, where two by-elections were held.

In the first by-election the PA took a ward off the DA, winning 60% of the vote in the by-election. The DA won 38% yesterday.

In the 2021 LGE the DA had won the ward with 40%, with GOOD winning 32% and a local party, the Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners, winning 21%.

In the LGE in the ward the PA had won only 1%.

In the other by-election the PA once again triumphed over the DA.

This was the second by-election held in the ward since the LGE. In July 2023 the DA had won the by-election, taking a seat off GOOD.

Yesterday, the PA beat the DA by just over 60 votes, out of more than 2 000 cast, with the PA winning 51% and the DA 48%. The only other challenger in the ward was the ANC, but it won less than 1% of the vote.

This now means that the DA holds 25 of George’s 55 council seats, with the PA having five.

Ahead of the next LGE the DA will be concerned with the FF+ surge in Tshwane and the PA’s growth in George and the rural Western Cape broadly.