Yesterday the DA showed strong growth in the Ward 5 by-election in Kroonvale, Graaff-Reinet. DA candidate Glenda Mackelina retained the ward for the DA.
What was extremely significant was that the DA’s share of the vote went up 9%. In 2014, that DA polled 50.17% and this time, we polled 59.17%.
In 2014, the DA won a total of 38% of the vote in the Camdeboo municipality. With a growth of 9% added to this figure, it shows that we are firmly on track to win the new supersized municipality, consisting of Baviaans, Ikwezi and Camdeboo.
This result will come as a shock to the ANC as their attempts to gerrymander municipal boundaries to win this municipality has simply blown up in their faces.
ANC provincial spokesman Mlibo Qoboshiyane, who boasted throughout Tuesday that the ANC would win all the municipalities in the Eastern Cape, must be choking on his words.
Last night I participated in a spontaneous DA cavalcade and I was deeply moved to see people pouring out of their homes, lining the street and cheering at about 23:30 at night. The people can feel the change that is coming.
A swing like this is also extremely significant for the Nelson Mandela Metropole, the Kouga- and Koukamma municipalities.
The DA’s growth is firmly on track and this result will build momentum towards the elections later on this year.
Athol Trollip
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