Council members, who were locked out of their offices by angry community members over lack of service delivery in March this year, have been given another chance to run the municipality.
This was after the community had gone on the rampage and accused the officials in Thaba Chweu municipality of corruption.
But after this week’s elections, the ANC won the polls with 58.33% of the vote, followed by the DA with 21.88% and the EFF got 11.56%.
Thaba Chweu has been rocked by several protests in the past two years, culminating in the council lockout in March.
Last year the community accused the municipality of inflating electricity prices. It is one of the municipalities that is in debt to Eskom.
Other municipalities in Mpumalanga who have had similar service delivery protests were booted out by voters this week.
In Lekwa, Steve Tshwete and Govan Mbeki municipalities, the ANC has failed to reach the 50% mark to get an outright majority to control them.
In Steve Tshwete municipality, the ANC was sitting at 36.85%, Govan Mbeki at 41.08% and Lekwa got 42.03% of the vote.
The ANC was negotiating with potential suitors to form coalition governments in these areas.
The ruling party has always had a firm control of these towns until this week when they shed support with less than 50% of the vote received.
POLITICAL BUREAU