ANC wins two by-elections in George

The party listened to its local branch in choosing a candidate

THE ANC scored a narrow victory in a George by-election to reclaim a ward which fell to the DA six months ago.

Earlier this week Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was dispatched to campaign for the party in George where it was waging a battle on two fronts – hoping to retain Ward 25 and reclaim Ward 11.

Leading up to Wednesday’s vote campaigning was fierce with both the ANC and the DA hauling out its big guns including ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and former DA leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.

In Ward 11 the ANC’s Cokiswa Lesele won 48% of the vote with 2 184 votes cast for her with voter turnout 50% of registered voters. Jacques Esau retained Ward 25 for the ANC with 55% of the 2 739 votes cast. Voter turnout was an unusually high 67%.

ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs was buoyed by the by-election victory but added that it came with the party not having resorted to any gimmicks.

“Previously we didn’t listen to our people. The last time we had a candidate in Ward 11 who was imposed on people,” Jacobs admitted.

This time around, he said, the party listened to its local branch and chose a candidate, Cokiswa Lesele, who had widespread support among the community of Thembalethu where the DA scored a stunning victory at the August 3 local government poll.

In Uniondale (Ward 25), Jacobs said the ANC was the “lifeblood” of the community which consisted of mostly rural areas, with many of the voters being farmworkers who were positively predisposed to the ANC’s agenda.

The DA’s local campaign organiser Tertius Simmers said the party’s loss of Ward 11 was due to voter turnout, and in Ward 25 the party had increased its support despite coming second to the ANC.