The Democratic Alliance (DA) has successfully retained Ward 57 in Lyttleton, Centurion, fending off a strong challenge from the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) in an area long regarded as a DA stronghold.
The by-election was triggered by the death of DA councillor David Farquharson in October last year after a period of illness. The contest was marked by intense campaigning, with tensions escalating between the DA and the FF Plus, traditionally regarded as political allies.
Earlier this week, the FF Plus lodged an official complaint accusing the DA of running a negative campaign, alleging that the DA had claimed a vote for the FF Plus was effectively a vote for the ANC. The DA defended its messaging, with MP and Voting Station Captain Adrian Roos arguing that it was strategically unwise to field multiple opposition candidates if the objective was to keep the ANC out of the ward.
The ANC, meanwhile, criticised both parties, accusing them of advancing a “backward agenda” aimed at preserving Lyttleton and Centurion as predominantly white areas. The party argued that such tensions reflected an attempt to maintain apartheid-era spatial planning, which democratic governments have sought to dismantle over the past three decades.
The final results were as follows:
- DA: 53% (down from 59% in 2021)
- FF Plus: 44% (up from 16%)
- ANC: 2% (down from 8%)
- TRUTH: less than 1%
Voter turnout dropped sharply to 21%, compared to 50% in the previous election.
The FF Plus recorded the most significant growth, increasing its support by 28 percentage points. While the DA retained the ward, it suffered a six percent decline in support. The ANC experienced a similar six percent drop, falling from around 600 votes in 2021 to just 2 percent in this election — a particularly severe blow for the former liberation movement.
ANC Greater Tshwane Regional spokesperson Joel Masilela ka Mahlangu said the party never expected to win the ward but felt compelled to contest it.
“For the ANC it was never about winning, because we have to be realistic with these numbers, particularly in communities where residents have for years been held at ransom through the use of the ‘swart gevaar’ scare tactic,” Mahlangu said. “As a leader of society, the ANC had to step up and contest as a symbolic resistance to the clear attempt to keep Centurion an exclusively white area.”
Despite the DA’s overall victory, the FF Plus outperformed the DA in both Lyttleton voting districts. The DA’s stronger showing in De Hoewes — the largest of the three voting districts — ultimately secured its win.
Speaking to Newsnote, former Tshwane mayor and current leader of the opposition in council, Cilliers Brink, said the DA would prioritise service delivery and infrastructure challenges in the area, particularly the risk of sinkholes linked to dolomite geology.
“The biggest issue in this area is sinkholes because of the dolomites in Centurion. It is a massive priority to make sure that sinkholes don’t occur in the first place by fixing leaks, street lights, and ensuring value for money for ratepayers,” Brink said, adding that the party was leaving nothing to chance.
Meanwhile, the DA suffered significant setbacks elsewhere, losing two wards in George Municipality in the Western Cape, both of which were won by the Patriotic Alliance.