ANC wins Soweto wards where protesters blocked roads to party election rally

Despite trying to block the party from holding its final election rally last week, residents of Senaoane and Dlamini in Soweto have voted the ANC back into power in their wards.

Last week the ANC received a hostile welcome in Soweto, where it was going to hold its final Siyanqoba election rally in Thokoza Park on Friday afternoon.

The rally, which was to be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was the face of the ANC campaign, had to be delayed as residents from both Senaoane and Dlamini blocked the roads leading to the venue, protesting about a lack of electricity.

They complained that they had been without power for more than five days. 

The issue of electricity has been a thorn in the side of the ANC on its campaign trail in Gauteng, particularly in Soweto and some parts of Ekurhuleni.

However, despite these protests, the residents of the two areas decided to again give power to the ANC in their wards. But their vote for the ANC was not overwhelming.

In ward 15, where Senaoane is,  the ANC won with 52.95% of the vote. Herman Mashaba's ActionSA received 17.92% while the EFF got 12.76%.

In ward 37, where Dlamini is,  the ANC got 45.2% of the vote, followed by the IFP with 21.02% and the EFF with 14.02%.

It is unclear if those who were participating in the protests voted for the ANC or opposition parties, but the numbers show that the ANC still enjoys a majority in the wards.

In other parts of the country which were affected by protests on voting day, the ANC managed to win municipalities, and specific wards, despite the unhappiness of the voters.

In KwaZulu-Natal in Mkhambathini municipality, where voting stations in wards 1, 2, 3 and 5 were closed on the first day of the special vote, the ANC still managed to win the municipality overwhelmingly. The party got 63.69% of  the vote, which gave it nine seats. Its closest rivals, the EFF and IFP, got 13.53% and 11.65% respectively, which gave each two seats in council.

In the Eastern Cape 22 voting stations were closed on voting day due to protests in different municipalities. But the ANC still won the municipalities with a governing majority. One of the affected municipalities was Ntabankulu, where the ANC was returned to power with an 81.21% majority. In Matatiele, the ANC still got 72.96% of the vote and in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, 78.08%.

Residents in these municipalities had blocked IEC officials from entering voting stations. 

In Makana municipality, the ANC managed to secure a majority but only just — 50.65%. Here residents broke into the voting stations overnight and took IEC equipment.

TimesLIVE

It’s never been as important to be in the know as it is now. Subscribe to Sunday Times today and get 50% off. Click here to subscribe.