Political parties have continued with campaigns even on the day of by-elections as they battle it out for the 23 vacant seats spread across five provinces.
A majority of the contested wards were previously held by the ANC and the DA with the exception of one in Lenasia, South of Johannesburg which was under the control of Al-Jamah.
The ANC in Gauteng, led by its Johannesburg regional executive committee ran a spirited campaign and expressed confidence that it will win most, if not all of the contested seats.
The ANC expressed confidence that it will outdo its opponents in the poll.
“We are not leaving anything to chance and that is why you see all of us here ( ward 21 Soweto), said Gauteng provincial secretary TK Nciza who was campaigning in the area alongside provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi who is also the Premier of the province even as voting was underway.
MK Party pulled a surprise in August beating the ANC in a ward in the North West’s Bojanala District which includes the town of Rustenburg.
Regional Secretary Sasabone Manganye underplayed the threat of MKP saying its support was largely in the hostels and there’s none in the contested wards.
“They tried in the past to steal our numbers here and there but this time they won’t manage. Their support came from the hostels, in simpler terms you could say it’s a hostel party and there’s no hostel here, said Manganye.
The EFF which saw its electoral support drop in the general elections has expressed confidence that it will do well in the three wards its contesting.
“The EFF elected machinery is in great shape, on the ground and we are confident that when voting stations close in the evening we will see positive results coming in, victory is certain,” said provincial spokesperson Dumisani Baleni.
The 3 seats being contested in Gauteng are in Soweto, Lenasia and Mogale City. A total of 15 political parties are contesting the elections in 5 provinces.