DA remains largest party in Bitou as support declines

Update

BITOU - The DA has retained its position as the largest political party in the Bitou Council, securing five seats, despite a decline in voter support from 40.36% in the 2021 local government elections to 33.7% in this year’s poll.

The ANC, which retained its three ward seats, also experienced a drop in support, falling from 29.09% in 2021 to 20.79%.

Its weaker performance resulted in the loss of one proportional representation seat, reducing its total representation in Council from four seats to three.

One of the notable outcomes of the election was the performance of newcomer FF Plus, which contested the Bitou elections for the first time and secured one proportional representation seat.

In Ward 2, Helen Ward contested against incumbent DA councillor Dave Swart, who comfortably retained the ward. However, his support declined from 95.67% in 2021 to 84.87% this year. Ward secured 12.34% of the votes in the ward.

Increased support was also recorded for the PDC, represented by Claude Terblanche; the PA; the IPM, led by current deputy mayor Nokuzola Kolwapi; and the AUF, represented by speaker Mavis Busakwe.

With the election results now in, attention turns to the DA and the negotiations that will determine the composition of Bitou’s next coalition government.

The big question is whether the DA will retain its existing coalition arrangement with the IPM and AUF or explore a new political alignment with the FF Plus and PDC. A third option for the DA is with the ANC, as the DA is in a coalition with the ANC on a national level in the GNU.

How the parties performed
The comparative support for parties in the new Bitou Council, with 2021 figures in brackets, is as follows:
• DA - 33.7% (40.36%)
• ANC - 20.79% (29.09%)
• AUF - 9.61% (9.03%)
• IPM - 6.55% (3.2%)
• PA - 6.97% (5.72%)
• PDC - 8.74% (6.51%)
• FF Plus - 5.7% (contested Bitou for the first time).

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