/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The DA tonight celebrates another by-election victory, winning ward 7 in Matzikama from the Patriotic Alliance (PA) by almost tripling our share of the vote. This was the only ward the PA won in the Western Cape in the 2021 local government election.

The results are as follows:

DA – 62.27% - 1568 VOTES (2021 – 21.82% - 513 votes) (2019 – 45.08% - 1086 votes)
ANC – 31.57% - 795 VOTES (2021 – 22.16% - 521 votes) (2019 – 40.56% - 977 votes)
EFF – 0.56% - 14 VOTES (2021 – 1.70% - 40 votes) (2019 – 1.12% - 27 votes)
PA – 5.60% - 141 VOTES (2021 – 27.09% - 637 votes)
% Poll – 59.04%

Local PA support collapsed within 8 months, as voters opted for the DA's trusted brand of good governance and service delivery.

The decision of Councillor Christo Boks, to resign from the PA and stand as the DA's ward candidate in this by-election, has been fully vindicated. The voters showed that they are completely behind his decision.

The significant swing in favour of the DA gives us a stable majority coalition in the Matzikama Council, and a strong mandate for DA Mayor Johan van Der Hoven and his team. The ANC has been convincingly defeated in Matzikama, as well as almost all other municipalities in the Western Cape.

The DA is the only party strong enough to lead the charge of unseating the ANC and the by-election result in Ward 7, Matzikama, underscores this. It is an important marker on the road to the National and Provincial Elections in 2024.

We sincerely thank the voters of ward 7 in Matzikama for putting their trust in the DA. We thank Christo Boks for recognising that his commitment to good governance can best be met as a councillor for the DA. We shall work hard to honour the result of tonight's by-election.

Issued by Tertuis Simmers - DA Provincial Leader, Western Cape