By ROD AMNER
In this year’s election’s most closely contested ward, the African National Congress (ANC) narrowly retained the seat it won in an upset by-election in 2019 with 22.84% of the vote.
The Makana Citizens Front (MCF) came in second with 21.65%, closely followed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 19.59%.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), which won the seat in 2016 with 67.68%, captured just 16.67% of the vote on Monday.
The seat became vacant in 2019 when DA Councillor, Darryn Brian Holm, announced his resignation. The ANC’s Mzobanzi Nkwentsha won the by-election and won again in this week’s elections.
Voter turnout in Ward 12 – which is dominated by Rhodes University – was a shockingly low 18.5%, down from 39.84% in 2016. Just 470 voters turned up on Monday.
| Ward 12 | |||
| Party | 2016 % support | Change % | 2021 % support |
| ANC | 22.67 | 0.75 | 22.84 |
| MCF | Did not stand | 21.65 | |
| EFF | 9.21 | 112.7 | 19.59 |
| DA | 68.12 | -75.52 | 16.67 |
- ANC 22.84%
- MCF 21.65%
- EFF 19.59
- DA 16.67%
- IND 14.5%
- MIND 1.73%
Emile Oosthuizen, MiND
- VF PLUS 1.08%
- AZAPO 0.97%
Ward 12: 2016
- DA 67.68%
- ANC 21.22%
- EFF 10.06%
- UDM 0.83%
- AZAPO 0.21%
Total registered voters: 4 139
Voter turnout %: 39.84%
Voter turnout: 1 649
Councillor Mzobanzi Nkwentsha, ANC (by-election victory over the DA)
