KNYSNA POLITICS NEWS - After a month of campaigning for the Knysna municipal Ward 11 by-elections, the ANC took the ward from the DA, giving Lorraine Opperman another chance to represent Hornlee in Council.
She was sworn in on Monday 26 April at the Knysna Municipality Council Chambers.
Opperman, whose DA membership was terminated after she voted against the DA's motion to curtail the power of the mayor - which meant she also lost her seat in Council - increased the ANC support in the ward from 29% in the 2019 by-elections to 48,5%.
Opperman's victory gives the ANC nine seats in Council and helps the current ANC, Cope and KUC coalition to stay in power.
Out of the 1 340 votes counted in the ward, the ANC received 650 votes (48,5%), the DA received 458 votes (34,17%), the EFF got 160 votes (11,94%) and the ACDP received 62 votes (4,62%).
There were only ten spoiled votes.
ANC Knysna sub-regional secretary Moyisi Magasela said they are humbled by the confidence that has been bestowed on them by residents of Ward 11.
"We thank the community of Ward 11 in Hornlee for trusting the ANC and Opperman. We heard and understood the challenges that were raised by the community during the campaign and we commit ourselves to address those challenges and speed up service delivery," he said.
According to Magasela there has been a steady increase in voter support for the ANC in Knysna since 2011.
"The by-election's results once more prove that the community of Hornlee have seen what the ANC-led government can deliver together with its coalition partners Cope and KUC," he said.
Mixed comment
Knysna United and the Good Party joined in and congratulated Opperman on her victory.
Knysna United chair Ralph Stander said the ANC managed to get Cope, Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI), Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa) and Khoisan to support them in the by-elections. "Now it is payback time by performing. Knysna United will continue to work with Knysna Municipality Council led by Mayor Elrick van Aswegen and we will continue to make the municipality accountable," he said.
Good Party convener in Knysna John Pienkies Williams said they had called on the community to open their eyes and rid themselves of the DA. "We are happy that the community heeded the call. The DA was punished and will never ever win Knysna again," he said.
Williams called on the ANC-led municipality to service the people of Knysna. "Hornlee has for long been the last to receive any services from the municipality, but that can no longer be tolerated," he said.
Clear choice
DA Constituency Head Dion George said the by-election made it very evident that that there was a clear choice between two parties - the DA and the ANC.
The dynamic on 27 October is going to be very different, when not just Ward 11 votes, but the whole of Knysna.
George said this is a wake-up call for everybody in Knysna that the ANC can win the election on 27 October.
"That is not in the interest of anybody. So people have a clear choice to make on 27 October, it's either they pick the DA or the ANC and that is the government they are going to get. Voting for any other party rather than the DA will give an ANC government and that was very clear from Wednesday," he said.
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