It’s official: DA wins Nelson Mandela Bay metro
The DA has made history by winning the Nelson Mandela Bay metro from ANC in what was described as the most contested election since '94.
|||Port Elizabeth - It’s official. The DA has made history by winning the Nelson Mandela Bay metro from ANC in what was described as the most contested election since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
After a long wait and number crunching by political parties in the IEC results operations centre in Port Elizabeth, the IEC website after 1pm showed that 100 percent of votes had been counted.
The DA won the council by 46.71 percent, followed by the ANC at 40.92 percent, and EFF at 5.12 percent.
The DA will get 57 seats in council, ANC (50), EFF (6), UDM (2), and the AIC, United Front of the Eastern Cape, COPE, ACDP, and Patriotic Alliance will each get one seat.
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro was regarded as ANC stronghold, despite the fact that the ruling party had been losing support in the region since 2011, owing to political infighting, that saw soccer boss Danny Jordaan parachuted in as mayor in May last year.
In what was viewed as a victory speech on Thursday night, DA Eastern Cape leader and mayoral candidate Athol Trollip told cheering DA supporters that they had won the Eastern Cape’s biggest metro.
He said his administration would focus on job creation and cutting corruption.
luyolo.mkentane@inl.co.za
@luyolomkentane
Elections Bureau