GEORGE NEWS - With the results of various voting stations still outstanding, it will only later today be known who will govern in George.
First indications are that the Good Party did well and that the DA retained its power base in its traditional areas.
According to observers it seems there was a low voting turnout. This could be attributed to many factors, among others the cold rainy weather on voting day.
Early this morning Piet van der Hoven, election coordinator of the ANC, said it is still early days, but there are strong indications in which direction things are moving. “The ANC kept its power base. The DA did well in the so-called white areas and Good in the so-called coloured areas. Indications are the voting turnout was low,” he said. “We know that the ANC and Good will govern George.”
Donovan Saptoe of the Good Party said they would issue an official press release as soon as they received all the IEC figures.
"Good is of course very satisfied with the growth that the party is showing and the fact that Good's message is taken seriously in the community. Good has currently increased its participation in the council and we will only know exactly what the impact will be once we have received all the IEC figures. ”
Unique election
Deputy leader of the DA in the Western Cape Tertuis Simmers said it was a unique election in terms of the extreme weather conditions on voting day. “We also had to deal with a low voting turnout.”
The DA has made history in some municipalities in the East Region and the Garden Route. In Hessequa the DA has won two wards from the ANC. For the first time in history, DA will be able to govern with an outright majority in the area.
He stressed that the results of various voting stations are still outstanding that need to be confirmed.
A sneak peek at the current results as displayed on the IEC website. To follow the results live, visit https://www.elections.org.za/pw/ and click on “View live municipal elections results”. Then click on Western Cape, and George.
Wet weather
Adv Gert van Niekerk of the Freedom Front Plus said the outcome was influenced by the weather. He added, “However, I don’t believe it would have made a big difference in the overall result.” According to him the Freedom Front Plus has grown.
Virgill Gericke of the PBI said they welcome the initial results while waiting on the final results from the IEC. “The PBI has shown exponential growth during the past elections. We have ventured into previously uncharted territory in wards where we never had a presence. As a party we are elated and proud of the achievements of our candidates. Our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the electorate who enabled the PBI to achieve this extraordinary milestone. We remain committed to executing the agenda of transformation and equality to all communities.”
Chantelle Kydd of the Patriotic Alliance said they aren’t very happy with the low voter turnout: "We are anxiously waiting for the confirmation of the outcome of the election results for George Municipalty as all indications point to a possible coalition government running the municipalty. PA is very proud of our efforts and will definitely build on our efforts to strengthen our brand and position going forward."
According to Dr Dennis Farrell, business leader and former councillor, first indications are that, despite a few hiccups, everything went well.
“The afternoon rain did have an effect in some areas where people are reliant on public transport or own means to get to the voting stations,” he said. Looking at the IEC results, the “smaller parties” are at present doing well.
"All present indications are that the voting percentage is going to be low, which really means that the council will be represented by the minority citizens. This could bode an interesting new form of positive activism. People are fed-up with the present political system where there is no to little accountability," he said.
To follow the results live, visit https://www.elections.org.za/pw/ and click on “View live municipal elections results”. Then click on Western Cape, and George.
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