DA and ANC prepare for Mpumalanga coalition talks as election results trickle in

The DA provincial leader in Mpumalanga, Jane Sithole, says her party is excited to have won several unexpected wards in the province.

Speaking to Lowveld Media, Sithole said the party had surged to become the second-largest party in Mpumalanga.

“We are very much pleased with the results that have come out in the local government elections,” said Sithole.

She said the DA had taken wards in rural municipalities like Nkomazi Local Municipality, which took the party by surprise.

“The DA is pleased that no single party managed to secure 50% of the vote in almost all the municipalities. This means coalition governments will have to be negotiated, creating an opportunity for other parties to become part of the government and contribute to service delivery,” Sithole said.

She said every government should put residents first instead of arguing about who gets what position in which municipality.

“The DA has taken wards in eMzinoni in the Govan Mbeki Municipality, for example,” said Sithole.

Meanwhile, the ANC says it is humbled by the outcome of the local government elections.

“We want to thank all the voters across Mpumalanga who trusted the ANC with their votes. We believe they have given the ANC the majority of the votes,” said Mpumalanga ANC spokesperson Sasekani Manzini.

“We are humbled and we want to commit that we shall continue to provide quality services to our people and we are going to make sure that our councillors work and consult our people in terms of the service delivery that they are going to deliver across the province,” Manzini said.

She said where the party did not get the majority they would engage other political parties for possible coalitions.

“We believe we are the political party that can bring stability in the province. The party is ready to negotiate with other political parties for possible coalitions where necessary,” said Manzini.

The ANC’s provincial chairperson, Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu, had predicted a victory for the party.

“The contract with our people is coming to an end. They have assured us that they will renew their contract with the ANC for the next five years. We are therefore confident that the ANC will win the local government elections,” Ndlovu told Lowveld Media shortly after casting his vote at the Thulamahashe Civic Centre on November 4.

Final results are expected to be announced by the IEC on November 7 at 11:00.

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Riot Hlatshwayo 2 minutes read Facebook X LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Share via Email Print Support local journalism Add The Citizen as a preferred source to see more from Lowvelder in Google News and Top Stories.