DA celebrates retaining its seat in N Cape by-election

THE DA’s Lemfvia Christiana van Niekerk won Wednesday’s municipal by-elections in the Siyancuma Municipality in Douglas.

The DA retained the seat it won in the 2016 municipal elections with an increased margin of 50.63% of the votes cast compared to 43.82% in the 2016 municipal elections.

According to IEC spokesperson, Kate Bapela, voter turnout was 63.78%.

Van Niekerk obtained a total of 848 votes, while her nearest rival, Steven Gallant from the ANC, won 589 votes. The EFF’s Emily Nontozelilizwe Tshaka obtained 98 votes and independent candidate Mariana Erna Kitsher obtained 140 votes.

The ANC in the Northern Cape welcomed the results from the by-election. Provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga said the party was confident that it had made some significant gains in the ward.

“We will continue to ensure that our people receive the much needed services from the Siyancuma Municipality. In the true nature of by-elections fewer people came out to vote, we will, however, work at intensifying our voter education throughout the Province, ensuring that we get our communities to go out in their numbers to vote.”

The DA meanwhile was celebrating the win and the fact that the party increased its percentage share of the votes.

“At the same time, the ANC’s share of votes declined from 37.12% in 2016 to 35.16%,” DA provincial leader Andrew Louw pointed out.

He stated that the fact that the DA continued to display positive growth in the Northern Cape, and was steadily making inroads in non-traditional areas, reaffirmed the party’s belief that it is on track to “bring change” to the Northern Cape in 2019.

“Our success also contradicts the naysayers, who are desperately trying to detract from the DA’s policy on open debate within the party, to paint a picture of a DA that is confused and at odds with itself. The truth is that the DA stands strong and remains more focused than ever before on removing the ANC from power.”

Louw said he was confident that the party had selected a strong candidate in Van Niekerk, “who carries the concerns of the Douglas community close to her heart and has proven time and again that she is willing to take up the fight of the community for improved service delivery”.

Another by-election will be held on Wednesday next week (August 22) in the Khâi-Ma Municipality (Ward 1).

The by-election will be contested by Benedictus Benjamin Josop of the ANC; Victor Tshidiso Matabane of the DA; Hermanus Frans Julie of the EFF; and Nicolaas Henry Jano of the Khâi-Ma Onafhanklike Kandidate Koalisie.

The ward was previously represented by the ANC and became vacant as a result of termination of councillor membership by the party.

The voter turnout for this ward in the 2016 municipal elections was 62.27% and the ANC candidate won the ward with 64.55% of valid votes.