MK Party wins first ward in Western Cape
The Saldanha Bay by-election saw the MK Party taking 36% of the vote, followed by the ANC at 26% and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) giving a strong showing with 19%.
Picture: AFP
CAPE TOWN - The MK Party has won its first ward in the Western Cape by defeating the African National Congress (ANC) and six other parties who contested the by-election in the Saldanha Bay municipality.
The victory came as a surprise in a province where the party doesn’t garner much electoral support, as the party takes over the ward held by the ANC.
The party didn't perform well in the province during last year’s provincial elections and failed to secure a single seat in the provincial legislature.
The Saldanha Bay by-election saw the MK Party taking 36% of the vote, followed by the ANC at 26% and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) giving a strong showing with 19%.
Eight political parties contested the by-election which saw the Democratic Alliance managing just over one percent of the vote in the ward.
MK councillor, Mzwandile Biko, takes over the seat previously held by the ANC since local government elections in 2021.
The by-elections' voter turnout was 55.30% compared to the 2021 local government election voter turnout of 48.08%, according to the IEC.
MK Party secretary-general, Floyd Shivambu, took to social media to celebrate the victory, saying the "MK affirmed its presence in Saldanha Bay Municipality" and the party would win decisively at the next by-elections on 2 April.