Shift in voter support as DA retains Ward 34 with narrow margin
The DA secured 2,382 votes (46.56%), with the Patriotic Alliance close behind with 2,194 votes (42.89%).
This is according to the IEC website.
The by-election was triggered by the death of former ward councillor Johnny Arends in April.
Six political parties — the DA, PA, National Alliance, ANC, EFF and PAC — pulled out all the stops in a bid to claim the ward.
The National Alliance came in third with 323 votes (6.31%).
The ANC followed with 118 votes (2.31%), PAC 64 (1.25%) and EFF 35 (0.68%).
In the 2021 local government elections, the DA won the ward with 63.14% of the votes, followed by the National Alliance (17.12%) and PA (2.78%).
DA provincial chair Yusuf Cassim said he believed the by-election was not hotly contested.
'This is because the PA brought all its members across SA here. They came out [allegedly] intimidating and bribing the voters with money and alcohol, but they couldn't beat us.
'In next year's elections, they won't be able to do that.
'They are going to have to campaign all over the country. They won't bring all their members into one ward.
'If they couldn't beat us in one ward, how will they stand a chance in an election where they're contesting across the board,' Cassim said.
To celebrate the victory, the DA held a motorcade with councillor candidate Annelize Stanley and other supporters to thank the community.
Stanley said she was honoured and humbled by the support.
'This is a win for all the residents of Ward 34. We worked so hard for this.
'People in this community know me because I live here. They know my history, and I will serve them well.'
Stanley said a pressing issue was broken street lights.
'We are battling with rampant crime, and the sewage leaks take away dignity.‚
PA regional chair Bradley Murray thanked all its members and supporters for showing that their party was the one that could remove the DA in the ward.
'We lost by less than 200 votes, and that speaks volumes about our party considering the DA has ruled there for more than 20 years,' Murray said.
'We are happy with our performance, we're fast eating away at the blue elephant one piece at a time, and they can feel it.'
Regarding the allegations of bribery and intimidation, Murray said Cassim was welcome to either report the matter to the police or notify the IEC.
'You must understand that this is very personal for Yusuf.
'The DA lost nine council seats [after the 2021 local government elections] and we are trailing by 188 votes compared to the 1,940 recorded in the 2024 national election — all this happened under his leadership.
'He is fast losing grip because we got the most votes in the Wonderwonings voting station where their candidate is from, and they're not happy about it at all.'
National Alliance president Gary van Niekerk said while disappointed with the outcome, it did not come as a surprise considering the conduct of the DA and PA leading to and during the election.
'I don't know if any other party mentioned this, but when [PA president] Gayton [ McKenzie] arrived, PA supporters were giving R100 to voters, which is unacceptable.
'Even before this, he came and revamped a netball court, which was aligned with their campaign.
'On the other hand, the DA minister Dean Macpherson was here last week giving away food parcels, which is a despicable thing to do, buying votes from the poor by providing what they need most.
'They were even campaigning on Wednesday, which is not allowed, but nothing is being done about this.'
Van Niekerk said IEC officials were aware of these tactics but did not act.
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