Ekurhuleni is slipping away from ANC grip
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 ruling party.
The East Rand 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.
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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.
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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.
–-The South African
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