ANC believes its recent by-election wins show it's recovering from poor May poll performance
Over the past month, several by-elections have been held across the country, with the party securing a majority of them.
Delegates at the ANC's 55th national elective conference on 17 December 2022. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) believes it is starting to recover from its poor electoral performance as it celebrates its recent victories in several by-elections.
Over the past month, several by-elections have been held across the country, with the party securing a majority of them.
Its latest win came in the Hantam Municipality in the Northern Cape, where it wrested control from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
With the next local government elections fast approaching, the ANC is using by-election victories to assess the work needed to secure a win in the 2026 municipal polls.
The party is celebrating victories in municipal by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape, where it won back seats lost to the DA and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), respectively.
The ANC claimed that these victories demonstrate that it remains an organisation capable of addressing the daily needs of South Africans.
It expressed humility in its strong performance in the recent by-elections, believing it is on the path to regaining public trust.
These achievements come on the heels of the party’s poor showing in the 2024 national and provincial elections, where its support dropped to an all-time low of 40%.