DA retains Hornlee ward in Knysna by-election

File picture: Ian Landsberg/African News Agency (ANA).

File picture: Ian Landsberg/African News Agency (ANA).

Published Dec 5, 2019

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Cape Town – The DA has retained Ward 11 at Hornlee in the Knysna Municipality following a by election yesterday. 

The DA's Lorraine Opperman received 41 percent of the vote. The ward became vacant when ward councillor Mark Pofadder resigned in October. 

The ward was contested by the ANC's Russel Arends, the EFF's Neil Louw, Icosa's Neville Kortje, the PBI's Johannes Wagenaar and an independent candidate, Alan Kock. 

Forty-six percent of registered voters cast their ballot in the poll.

Support for the ANC increased to 28.75% of votes cast – almost double the percentage of votes it ANC gained in 2016, while backing for the DA dropped to 41.65%. 

“We are seeing the end of the DA. We are optimistic that come the next municipal elections, voters in this province will boot out this party and give us a chance to clear up their mess,” said ANC interim provincial committee co-ordinator Ronalda Nalumango.

The DA experienced mixed results in three by-elections contested in the middle of last month – two in Cape Town, which it won with reduced majorities, and one in Matzikama, where it lost to the ANC.

The DA’s losses were attributed to the appearance, for the first time in a local election, of Patricia de Lille's GOOD party as well as several other smaller local parties and independent candidates. GOOD did not contest the Hornlee by-election.

In the two wards the DA retained – in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain and Wesbank in Cape Town – the party saw a drop in support from the 2016 municipal election results.

In Tafelsig, the party dropped to 64.02% of the votes cast, compared to 83.64% in 2016, with a voter turnout of 23.94%.

In Wesbank, the DA dropped to 49.28% of the votes cast, compared to 66.44% in 2016. Voter turnout was 21.75%.

In the Matzikama Municipality, the ANC won the ward with 51.30% of the vote, compared to 35.75% in 2016, while the DA dropped 11 percentage points.

Cape Times

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