By-elections show that new political season has arrived

28 November 2019

The by-elections that took place yesterday in Thabazimbi in the Limpopo province undeniably reaffirm the fact that a new era has dawned in South African politics. The FF Plus maintained its excellent growth since the 2016 local elections and has continued to build on that.

Support for the FF Plus in Thabazimbi grew from 7% in 2016 to the current 28,43%. That represents growth of more than 21%. Support for the DA dropped from 58% in 2016 to 33,58%. That is a decrease of more than 24%.

This confirms the tendency of the recent by-elections that took place in the North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. In the North West, the FF Plus won two wards from the DA.

In July this year, the FF Plus won the by-elections in Stilfontein with 56% of the votes and growth of 34%. The DA's support fell with 35%.

In September, the FF Plus won a ward in the JB Marks Municipality (Potchefstroom) with a 53% increase in votes since 2016, while the DA lost 65% of its votes since 2016.

In August in Ward 15 of the Ekurhuleni Metro, support for the FF Plus grew from 3% in 2016 to 30,22%. The DA's support, however, decreased from 88,46% to 63,79%.

Last month in Bethal (Ward 28, Govan Mbeki Municipality), the FF Plus grew from 4,31% to 35,4%. The number of votes for the DA decreased from 45% to 26,2%.

Also last month in Ward 12 in Lydenburg (Thaba Chweu Municipality), the FF Plus grew from 8,35% in 2016 to 32,7%. DA support decreased from 81,1% to 48,49%.

The message is loud and clear that at present, there is not a single party countrywide that poses a threat to the ANC on its own, but the FF Plus has established itself as one of the biggest opposition parties and role players in South African politics.

The time has come for voters to unite and vote for a party that represents their norms and values and that offers real solutions. This is particularly important with regard to the local elections that will be held in 2021.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 28 November 2019