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‘They are in major trouble’: ANC set to lose outright control of Ekurhuleni
The ANC isn’t in a good space, and when a region like Ekurhuleni is slipping from their grasp, it really is ‘crisis time’ for the party.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Sjoe, Ekurhuleni was previously considered an ANC stronghold. But voters in the Gauteng metro look set to turn their backs on the ruling party, as the latest election results show a major shift in the political landscape.
Will the ANC lose Ekurhuleni? Projections point to ‘major trouble’
Mayor Mzwandile Masina hasn’t been everyone’s cup of tea in the past five years, and he’s had to stave-off several allegations of corruption and fraud against his office. The ANC slide that was projected by opinion polls in the past few days is well and truly underway, with the party only picking up 46% of the national vote so far.
The projections for Ekurhuleni, however, could be their greatest concern of the lot. The DA has edged in front early on, and the ANC isn’t likely to get near the 50% it needs to rule the metro outright. Both parties will need to find coalition partners if they want to take control of the region – with the EFF and ActionSA likely to be kingmakers.
ANC numbers in their Ekurhuleni strongholds are awful, Major trouble brewing for the ANC there. The numbers for Duduza and Tsakane are very worrying. Also low turnout and good EFF growth
— Wayne Sussman (@waynesussman) November 2, 2021
2021 Elections: Results, updates, latest news
The DA is currently leading the vote in Ekurhuleni, with 34.7% of all ballots cast. Although, the contest remains tight. The Blues were the first to reach 50 000 votes in the metro, which has now counted 14% of all submitted ballots. The ANC is lagging behind on 33.05%, with the EFF also totalling 12% at the polls.
Both ActionSA and FF Plus are tracking at around 6%. Based on these numbers alone, the conditions would be more favourable for a DA-led coalition in the city – but this is far from a foregone conclusion.
Meanwhile, for the whole of Gauteng, the ANC does have a slender lead over the DA. Provincially speaking, the ruling party is currently on 35% of the vote, with the DA on 33%. Just 9 000 votes separate the pair, as of 9:30 on Tuesday.
- All info correct at the time of publishing
