Witzenberg Local Municipality elections

The Witzenberg Local Municipality consists of twenty-three members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twelve councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twelve wards, while the remaining eleven are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.

No party has ever received a majority at a local government election, with the African National Congress (ANC) receiving a plurality in 2006 and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2011, 2016 and 2021.

Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.

Event	ANC	COPE	DA	ICO	Other	Total
2000 election	9	—	9	—	3	21
2002 floor-crossing	12	—	1	—	8	21
2004 floor-crossing	15	—	2	—	4	21
2006 election	10	—	6	—	5	21
2007 floor-crossing	9	—	7	—	5	21
2011 election	8	1	10	—	4	23
2016 election	8	1	11	1	2	23
2021 election	7	0	8	1	7	23
2021 election (recount)	7	0	9	1	6	23

December 2000 election

The following table shows the results of the 2000 election. ^[1]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	African National Congress	7,567	43.48	5	7,508	43.12	4	9
	Democratic Alliance	7,106	40.83	6	7,408	42.55	3	9
	Witzenberg Onafhanklike Vereniging	1,649	9.48	0	1,552	8.91	2	2
	Pan Africanist Congress of Azania	496	2.85	0	664	3.81	1	1
	United Democratic Movement	206	1.18	0	279	1.60	0	0
	Independent candidates	379	2.18	0				0
Total		17,403	100.00	11	17,411	100.00	10	21

Valid votes		17,403	98.24		17,411	98.33
Invalid/blank votes		311	1.76		295	1.67
Total votes		17,714	100.00		17,706	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		31,190	56.79		31,190	56.77

October 2002 floor crossing

In terms of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the judgment of the Constitutional Court in United Democratic Movement v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others, in the period from 8–22 October 2002 councillors had the opportunity to cross the floor to a different political party without losing their seats. In the Witzenberg council the Democratic Alliance (DA) lost seven councillors to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA, and one councillor to the African National Congress (ANC). One councillor from the "Witzenberg Onafhanklike Vereniging" and one from the Pan Africanist Congress also crossed to the ANC.^[2]

	Seats before	Net change	Seats after
African National Congress	9	3	12
New National Party	–	7	7
Democratic Alliance	9	8	1
Witzenberg Onafhanklike Vereniging	2	1	1
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania	1	1	0

September 2004 floor crossing

Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004. Two ANC councillors, the remaining DA councillor and the remaining "Witzenberg Onafhanklike Vereniging" councillor all crossed to the Independent Democrats (ID). Five of the NNP councillors crossed to the ANC, and two to the DA.^[3]

	Seats before	Net change	Seats after
African National Congress	12	3	15
Independent Democrats	—	4	4
Democratic Alliance	1	1	2
New National Party	7	7	0
Witzenberg Onafhanklike Vereniging	1	1	0

By-elections from September 2004 to February 2006

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing periods in September 2004 and the election in March 2006.^[4]

Date	Ward	Party of the previous councillor		Party of the newly elected councillor
24 October 2004	8		Independent Democrats^{[Note 1]}		African National Congress
7 September 2005	3		Independent Democrats^{[Note 2]}		African National Congress

March 2006 election

The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.^[5]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	African National Congress	8,297	47.88	8	8,330	48.61	2	10
	Democratic Alliance	4,622	26.68	2	4,592	26.79	4	6
	Independent Democrats	2,618	15.11	1	2,643	15.42	2	3
	United Independent Front	739	4.27	0	757	4.42	1	1
	First Community Party of South Africa	648	3.74	0	562	3.28	1	1
	Independent candidates	343	1.98	0				0
	African Christian Democratic Party	60	0.35	0	254	1.48	0	0
Total		17,327	100.00	11	17,138	100.00	10	21

Valid votes		17,327	98.13		17,138	97.18
Invalid/blank votes		331	1.87		498	2.82
Total votes		17,658	100.00		17,636	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		37,273	47.37		37,273	47.32

September 2007 floor crossing

The final floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2007; floor-crossing was subsequently abolished in 2008 by the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution. In the Witzenberg council, one councillor crossed from the Independent Democrats (ID) to the new National People's Party, one crossed from the First Community Party to the ID, and one crossed from the African National Congress to the Democratic Alliance.^[6]

	Seats before	Net change	Seats after
African National Congress	10	1	9
Democratic Alliance	6	1	7
Independent Democrats	3	0	3
United Independent Front	1	0	1
National People's Party	—	1	1
First Community Party of South Africa	1	1	0

By-elections from September 2007 to May 2011

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing period in September 2007 and the election in May 2011.^[4]

Date	Ward	Party of the previous councillor		Party of the newly elected councillor
12 August 2009	3		Democratic Alliance		Democratic Alliance
2 September 2009	5		Democratic Alliance		Democratic Alliance

May 2011 election

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.^[7]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Democratic Alliance	9,634	45.21	7	10,024	47.57	3	10
	African National Congress	7,622	35.77	4	7,764	36.84	4	8
	National People's Party	722	3.39	0	681	3.23	1	1
	Congress of the People	578	2.71	0	612	2.90	1	1
	Voice of Independents Party	430	2.02	0	385	1.83	1	1
	Democratic Christian Party	403	1.89	0	392	1.86	1	1
	United Independent Front	383	1.80	0	386	1.83	0	0
	Independent candidates	699	3.28	1				1
	African Christian Democratic Party	309	1.45	0	346	1.64	0	0
	Democratic Association of Witzenberg Independence	334	1.57	0	282	1.34	0	0
	South African Progressive Civic Organisation	194	0.91	0	201	0.95	0	0
Total		21,308	100.00	12	21,073	100.00	11	23

Valid votes		21,308	98.64		21,073	97.61
Invalid/blank votes		293	1.36		517	2.39
Total votes		21,601	100.00		21,590	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		42,208	51.18		42,208	51.15

By-elections from May 2011 to August 2016

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.^[4]

Date	Ward
30 January 2013	10	Democratic Alliance	African National Congress^{[Note 3]}
4 February 2015	10	African National Congress	African National Congress
1 April 2015	7	Democratic Alliance	Democratic Alliance

August 2016 election

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.^[8]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Democratic Alliance	10,886	45.71	7	10,985	46.22	4	11
	African National Congress	7,497	31.48	5	7,861	33.08	3	8
	Witzenberg Aksie	1,172	4.92	0	1,201	5.05	1	1
	Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa	873	3.67	0	944	3.97	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	773	3.25	0	783	3.29	1	1
	Congress of the People	389	1.63	0	423	1.78	1	1
	Land Claims Fighters	424	1.78	0	337	1.42	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	349	1.47	0	327	1.38	0	0
	Freedom Front Plus	324	1.36	0	302	1.27	0	0
	Democratic Association of Witzenberg Independence	312	1.31	0	264	1.11	0	0
	Patriotic Alliance	221	0.93	0	270	1.14	0	0
	Independent candidates	426	1.79	0				0
	People's Democratic Movement	170	0.71	0	70	0.29	0	0
Total		23,816	100.00	12	23,767	100.00	11	23

Valid votes		23,816	98.22		23,767	98.04
Invalid/blank votes		432	1.78		475	1.96
Total votes		24,248	100.00		24,242	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		46,980	51.61		46,980	51.60

The eleven councillors from the Democratic Alliance (DA) formed a coalition with the single councillor from the Congress of the People (COPE) to govern the municipality.^[9] The local council sends three representatives to the council of the Cape Winelands District Municipality: two from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.^[9]

By-elections from August 2016 to November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.^[4]

Date	Ward	Party of the previous councillor		Party of the newly elected councillor
5 December 2018	9		African National Congress		African National Congress

November 2021 election

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.^[10]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Democratic Alliance	7,388	36.59	8	7,262	36.70	0	8
	African National Congress	6,073	30.07	4	6,108	30.86	3	7
	Good	1,268	6.28	0	1,232	6.23	2	2
	Patriotic Alliance	1,078	5.34	0	1,096	5.54	1	1
	Witzenberg Aksie	741	3.67	0	754	3.81	1	1
	Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa	616	3.05	0	564	2.85	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	575	2.85	0	581	2.94	1	1
	Freedom Front Plus	493	2.44	0	479	2.42	1	1
	Witzenberg Party	373	1.85	0	404	2.04	1	1
	Congress of the People	370	1.83	0	331	1.67	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	342	1.69	0	315	1.59	0	0
	Breedevallei Onafhanklik	239	1.18	0	254	1.28	0	0
	Democratic Association of Witzenberg Independence	284	1.41	0	132	0.67	0	0
	Witzenberg Onafhanklike Demokratiese Party	183	0.91	0	171	0.86	0	0
	Cape Independence Party	75	0.37	0	48	0.24	0	0
	Spectrum National Party	56	0.28	0	45	0.23	0	0
	Independent candidates	32	0.16	0				0
	African Progressive Movement	8	0.04	0	14	0.07	0	0
Total		20,194	100.00	12	19,790	100.00	11	23

Valid votes		20,194	98.75		19,790	98.50
Invalid/blank votes		255	1.25		301	1.50
Total votes		20,449	100.00		20,091	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		47,098	43.42		47,098	42.66

A successful court application in December 2021 by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to recount the ballets in two wards saw the DA regain a seat from Good and regain control of the council.^[11]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Democratic Alliance	7,388	36.82	8	7,361	36.95	1	9
	African National Congress	6,073	30.27	4	6,108	30.66	3	7
	Good	1,268	6.32	0	1,232	6.18	1	1
	Patriotic Alliance	1,082	5.39	0	1,096	5.50	1	1
	Witzenberg Aksie	740	3.69	0	754	3.78	1	1
	Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa	616	3.07	0	566	2.84	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	575	2.87	0	581	2.92	1	1
	Freedom Front Plus	492	2.45	0	499	2.50	1	1
	Witzenberg Party	373	1.86	0	405	2.03	1	1
	Congress of the People	370	1.84	0	334	1.68	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	339	1.69	0	316	1.59	0	0
	Breedevallei Onafhanklik	240	1.20	0	254	1.27	0	0
	Witzenberg Onafhanklike Demokratiese Party	183	0.91	0	175	0.88	0	0
	Democratic Association of Witzenberg Independence	155	0.77	0	132	0.66	0	0
	Cape Independence Party	75	0.37	0	52	0.26	0	0
	Spectrum National Party	56	0.28	0	45	0.23	0	0
	Independent candidates	32	0.16	0				0
	African Progressive Movement	8	0.04	0	14	0.07	0	0
Total		20,065	100.00	12	19,924	100.00	11	23

Valid votes		20,065	98.79		19,924	98.53
Invalid/blank votes		245	1.21		298	1.47
Total votes		20,310	100.00		20,222	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		47,098	43.12		47,098	42.94

^[12]^[13]

By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.^[14]

Date	Ward	Party of the previous councillor		Party of the newly elected councillor
20 April 2022	30904003		Democratic Alliance		Democratic Alliance

Notes

^ The former councillor was elected for the African National Congress but had since crossed the floor to the Independent Democrats.
^ The former councillor was elected for the Democratic Alliance but had since crossed the floor to the Independent Democrats.
^ The former councillor was re-elected to the ward on behalf of a different party.

References

^ "Local Government Elections 2000 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
^ "2002 Detailed Floor Crossing Report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
^ "2004 Floor Crossing - Summary report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Municipal By-elections results". Electoral Commission of South Africa. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ "Local Government Elections 2006 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
^ "2007 Floor Crossing - Summary report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
^ "Local Government Elections 2011 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2016 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
^ Felix, Jason. "Recount of votes in Witzenberg Municipality sees DA regain its outright majority". News24. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
^ "Municipal election results - Electoral Commission of South Africa". results.elections.org.za. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
^ "Municipal By-elections results - Electoral Commission of South Africa".

[5] The former councillor was elected for the African National Congress but had since crossed the floor to the Independent Democrats.

[6] The former councillor was elected for the Democratic Alliance but had since crossed the floor to the Independent Democrats.

[samecllr-10] The former councillor was re-elected to the ward on behalf of a different party.

[1] "Local Government Elections 2000 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

[2] "2002 Detailed Floor Crossing Report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

[3] "2004 Floor Crossing - Summary report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2017.

[mbe-4] "Municipal By-elections results". Electoral Commission of South Africa. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[7] "Local Government Elections 2006 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

[8] "2007 Floor Crossing - Summary report" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2017.

[9] "Local Government Elections 2011 - Seat Calculation Detail: Witzenberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

[11] "Election Result Table for LGE2016 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 17 November 2021.

[comp-12] "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.

[13] "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

[14] Felix, Jason. "Recount of votes in Witzenberg Municipality sees DA regain its outright majority". News24. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

[15] "Municipal election results - Electoral Commission of South Africa". results.elections.org.za. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

[16] "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Witzenberg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

[mbe-results-17] "Municipal By-elections results - Electoral Commission of South Africa".

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