The ANC retained its seats in 13 wards in which by-elections were held this week, the IEC said on Thursday.
The IFP held onto its seat in a 14th ward in KwaZulu-Natal, said Independent Electoral Commission spokeswoman Kate Bapela. The by-elections were held on Wednesday.
In the Eastern Cape, the ANC retained Lady Frere, Mount Fletcher, Mount Ayliff, Mbizana, Ntanbankulu and three Nelson Mandela Bays wards.
The victory would inspire the party to continue to improve people’s lives in the province, said ANC Eastern Cape spokesman Mlibo Qoboshiyana.
“The victory in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro exhibits the rejection of those who call our people refugees in the land of their birth and the affirmation of the progressive programme of building better communities of the ANC led by President Jacob Zuma,” he said.
“In other municipalities, we will continue to work more efficiently with our people, make sure that we respond to their needs and challenges by providing information and services needed to build better communities.”
Qoboshiyana was referring to a comment last Tuesday by DA leader Helen Zille on the social networking site Twitter that Eastern Cape pupils flocking to the Western Cape for a better education were “refugees”.
The ANC retained the Mafube ward, in the Free State; a ward in Midvaal, in Gauteng; one in Ethekwini, in Durban; in Makhado, in Limpopo; and Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape.
The IFP retained its ward in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal.
However, National Freedom Party secretary general Nhlanhla Khubisa accused the IFP of cheating.
“It should also be worth noting that it is victory for the NFP when considering that the IFP ferried people from the neighbouring wards and from other municipalities in order to ensure a win,” he said.
IFP spokesman Joshua Mazibuko said the NFP should lodge a formal complaint if it believed the IFP had cheated.
“I don’t know if their agents agreed to the results, but if they didn’t they should lodge a formal complaint instead of going to the media,” he said. – Sapa
Article source: http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/anc-retains-wards-in-by-elections-1.1266544
