The African National Congress (ANC) has won the highly-contested by-election in ward 71 of the eThekwini municipality in which they received 45% of the votes.
This is 7 percentage points more than the Democratic Alliance (DA), who previously held the ward at Shallcross south of Durban.
It is the first time that the ANC wins a ward in Chatsworth.
The by-election was held after the DA councillor resigned to take up a position in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
Meanwhile, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) retained ward 3 in Mthonjaneni in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial Electoral Officer, Mawethu Mosery, outlines the results:
“In all three by-elections the process went off smoothly. There are no noted issues at this point aspect the usual address challenges that we continue to correct as the commission. The outcome in uMhlathuze favoured the DA, in Mthonjaneni it was the IFP and in Ward 71 the ANC candidate won the by-election”.
Meanwhile, Mosery says the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is investigating an objection lodged by the ANC about the alleged bussing in of people from outside ward 3 at Mthonjaneni.
Mosery says before Wednesday’s bi-elections the IEC received a similar complaint from the ANC, which was investigated and resolved.
However, he says the matter of the registration of voters in the correct wards and addresses on the voters roll remain a serious challenge.
