The Thabazimbi local government in Limpopo province remained in the doldrums after Wednesday's by-election, with no party able to secure a full majority. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The Thabazimbi local government in Limpopo province remained in the doldrums after Wednesday's by-election, with no party able to secure a full majority.
The ANC emerged as the largest party with 39.65% of the vote and secured 10 seats, but fell short of the 12 seats needed for independent rule.
All 12 wards were contested in the by-elections held after the city was dissolved.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) came in second place with 16.41%, winning four seats, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secured three seats with 13.32%.
Smaller parties also gained seats, with the South African Labor Party and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) gaining two seats each, and the Umkhonto Wisizwe (MK) Party and Thabazimbi Residents' Association (TRA) gaining one seat each.
The South African Electoral Commission's Limpopo provincial officer, Nkalo Mateta, told reporters on Thursday that the city would remain under suspension, with voter turnout at just 38.55%.
However, the ANC rejected proportional division of municipal seats, arguing that it should have won more seats based on the number of votes received.
As a result, political parties need to negotiate coalitions to establish functional governance. Without a majority, the municipality remains vulnerable to the instability that has characterized it since 2016.
Governance challenges in Thabazimbi are long-standing, with the council plagued by infighting, financial mismanagement and service delivery failures. The municipality remained stagnant in 2021, with the ANC securing 47% of the vote but losing control to the DA-led coalition.
Chaos continued, with two mayors and two municipal managers running parallel councils, unable to pass a budget or deal with debts to Eskom and the local water authority. . The impasse stemmed from a leadership dispute within the TRA, which later split into three factions.
Former mayor John Michael Fisher founded the United Residents Party, while TRA rival Selaelo Sekgobela joined the Labor Party of the Miners' Association and construction union leader Joseph Matunjwa.
In addition, a parallel administrative structure was formed by appointing the mayor, chairperson, and city administrator in duplicate. The protracted conflict led to legal battles over a no-confidence motion, further paralyzing governance.
The dysfunction in the council affected staff, who went without pay for several months and the municipality owed Eskom R300 million and Magalies Water R180 million.
The turmoil prompted the intervention of the Limpopo Provincial Government and the National Council of Provinces, which placed Limpopo under Article 139 of the Constitution in October.
At the time, Prime Minister Fofi Ramatuba criticized the council's leadership for prioritizing internal power struggles over governance and constituency.
“Instead of working with us for service delivery and good governance, they took us to court and fought to stay in power, forgetting the interests of the populations they serve.” Mr Ramathuba said.
The by-election was one of the most competitive in recent years, with 400 candidates vying for seats from 21 political parties and five independents. The ANC, DA, EFF and MK parties each fielded candidates in all 12 wards, underscoring the high stakes.
Mr Mateta said no independent candidate had secured a seat.
