The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal has retained Ward 10 in the eThekwini municipality.
The ward was previously represented by the party and became vacant as a result of the councilor’s death.
The party increased its margin taking 94.8% of the vote, up from 80.01% in 2021.
Increased support
Member of the Provincial Legislature Francois Rodgers said each of the nine voting stations showed a marked increase in support for the DA.
“This is in line with a continuing trend of increasing support for the DA, and dwindling support for other parties. Councillor Caelee Laing is the new DA Councillor that has been trusted by the party to continue the good work of late Councillor Tex Collins.”
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“We are humbled by the trust that residents of this ward continue to have in the DA. We will continue fighting for reliable service delivery in council and ensuring that residents’ complaints are attended to,” Rogers said.
Rodgers added that the DA is confident more residents in the municipality will vote for the party as the country heads into the 2024 Elections.
Ekurhuleni mayorship
Meanwhile, the party is battling to retain the mayorship of Ekurhuleni after Tania Campbell was removed from office last week through an ANC-sponsored motion of no confidence.
The special council meeting of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality to elect a new mayor was postponed on Wednesday after a majority of political parties supported a motion to reschedule the sitting.
It’s understood the sitting was deferred after the African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) all backed the move to cancel the meeting.
Campbell is expected to stand again as the DA’s mayoral candidate after she was in power for 11 months.
Ekurhuleni council Speaker Raymond Dhlamini, from the DA, announced that the next council meeting to elect a new mayor would be within seven days’ time.
Additional reporting by Thapelo Lekabe
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