ANC HAPPY WITH BY-ELECTIONS PERFORMANCE

The African National Congress (ANC) is happy to have attained an overwhelming majority win in today's (8 September 2011) by-elections. Out of the 17 wards spread out in five provinces, we are happy to have won 14, with Limpopo province having won eight out of the nine wards contested.

We are, however, disappointed at having lost two key wards in Gauteng - Carltonville in Merafong City and Pretoria in the Tshwane Metro. This calls on all our cadres to go back to the drawing board, work closely with all communities to regain lost ground.

The ANC regards all by-elections as important as national and local polls because they reflect the thinking of communities at the coalface of service delivery, something that is at the heart of the ANC's 2011 local government manifesto.

We are also very happy that some of the vacancies in the various councils arose as a result of the principled stance we have taken to the effect that no public servant could at the same time be public representative. We also call upon all other political parties to join the ANC in adopting this important policy that will ensure no double dipping in the public purse.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, September 8 2011

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