ANC leads but barely holding on

JOHANNESBURG - As results from the 2021 local government elections started to come through yesterday morning, it painted a bleak picture for the ANC – it has not passed the 50 per cent threshold.

Vote counting continued yesterday morning after what analysts described as a dismal turnout at the municipal elections.

By 8am yesterday, the ANC had garnered 1 293 628 votes nationally, indicating a 45.71 per cent overall support.

The figures released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) showed results had been coming through from across the country all night.

The DA had 567 771 votes, or 27.63 per cent, followed by the EFF with 250 738 votes.

The ANC is leading in all provinces except the Western Cape which is a DA stronghold. The ANC is struggling to hold onto Gauteng, having got only 34.93 per cent of the votes for the party by 8am yesterday.

The DA is hot on the tails of the ANC in Gauteng, with 34.03 per cent of the voters’ support so far.

Early results showed the EFF scored most of its support from Mpumalanga and North West provinces.

Indications are that the turnout for the local government elections was much lower than the 48 per cent recorded in 2006.

A record 26 333 353 million eligible South Africans registered to vote in the 2016 election.

In 2021, the IEC confirmed 26 228 975 registered to vote, however, only eight million people made their mark on Monday.

Analysts have pinned the low support in this year’s elections on the rushed nature of the election preparation, the COVID19 pandemic and the general lack of faith in political candidates and parties.