POLITICS

By-elections: DA wins outright majority in Bitou - Helen Zille

DA leader says her party also won 14.54% of the vote in Soshanguve (Tshwane) by-election

Bitou turns true Blue as DA growth surges across SA

18 September 2014

The Democratic Alliance has won an outright majority in Bitou municipality for the first time, with strong surges in support in 3 other provinces. 

By winning Ward 7 Bitou from the ANC (KwaNokuthula and Kranshoek), the DA now no longer needs a coalition to govern Bitou municipality (Plettenberg Bay).

DA growth also continued in Soshanguve Ward 88 (Tshwane), going from 5.29% in 2011, to 8.63% in 2014, to 14.54% in these by-elections. 

Should this growth continue in Tshwane metro then a DA victory will be firmly on the cards in the 2016 local elections as the ANC currently holds less than 50% of the vote (49.3%).

The DA also made a strong showing in the rural Eastern Cape, where a number of municipalities are set to be hotly contested in 2016.

In ward 5 Tsolwana municipality (Hofmeyr), the DA went from 7.62% in 2011, to 31.77% in 2014 and 37.6% in these by-elections.

The party also congratulates DASO for winning the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's SRC elections with a comfortable majority of 57.87 %.

While the DA grew in ward 6 Tswaing (North West) from 9.21% in 2014 to 22.7% in these by-elections, the ward was unfortunately lost after the ANC co-opted the former councillor to a senior position in this municipality.

The DA thanks every single one of our supporters who contributed to these immensely successful results. By sustaining this momentum we will make the 2016 local elections the most competitive South Africa has ever seen.

Statement issued by DA leader, September 17 2014

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