Port Elizabeth - The greatest defeat for the ANC in the 2016 municipal elections would be to lose Nelson Mandela Bay to the opposition.
That is the view of ANC provincial chairperson Phumulo Masualle who spoke to Independent Media on Thursday afternoon on the ruling party's prospects in the most hotly contested of South Africa's eight metro councils.
With less than 20% of vote counting left, Masualle was still confident that the party would retain the province’s economic capital.
Masualle said results in township areas like Motherwell were still coming. “Nelson Mandela Bay townships are our stronghold. We still believe that, with the results still outstanding in most of our townships, we will retain the Nelson Mandela Bay metro,” said Masualle.
Masualle said the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay had so far won 36 of the 60 wards in the metro. By 16:30 on Thursday, 84% of vote counting was completed with the DA leading in the Nelson Mandela Bay with 49.49%, followed by ANC’s 39.25% and the EFF with 4.87%.
Election Bureau