The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape has won Ward 4 in Hessequa from the African National Congress (ANC) and retained two wards in Stellenbosch and George in by-elections held on Wednesday.

DA provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said the greatest win for the party was in Ward 4 Hessequa where the party took the ward off the ANC.

The DA gained 57 percent of the vote, a 23-percent increase in voter support since 2016. 

"This is the very first time the DA has won this ward. This victory means that the DA now holds the majority in the Hessequa municipality. In Stellenbosch, the DA retained Ward 9 with a 98-percent majority vote and in George, we retained Ward 18 with 74 percent of the vote,” said Madikizela in a statement.

He said these results showed that residents continued to place their trust in clean, effective, and efficient governance that only the DA can bring.

“These wins and gains are indicative of the DA’s growth in the Western Cape, where more and more residents are voting for a DA. Furthermore, these wins show that the people of the Western Cape refuse to be divided along racial lines or race-baited by the ANC’s desperation for relevance in our province. It is clear that in the Western Cape, we are well on our way to building One South Africa For All,” Madikizela said.

Meanwhile, the ANC said it was disappointed in the result.

ANC provincial secretary, Faiez Jacobs said a full assessment into what went wrong, including issues of voter turnout, local cohesion and unity and strategies to reach voters on farms would be held.

"We will redouble our efforts now to strengthen our local branch so that we can be visible in every voting district, the Diepkloof, Slangrivier, Vondeling, and Witsand and become an effective opposition," he said.

Jacobs said it was clear that voter turnout would be critical on May 8. "All our efforts until election day will be focused on door-to-door work and election day logistics. Every vote counts and we must work very hard to ensure that every one of our supporters gets to the polls on May 8.

“We will take this disappointment as a strong motivator to up our game across the entire province as we mobilize around our message of hope and renewal as represented by President Ramaphosa."