The Electoral Commission of South Africa is pleased to announce that the by-elections in the Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo proceeded peacefully and without incident on 3 and 4 December 2024.
The by-elections took place at 57 voting stations, including three
voting centres, spread across the 12 wards of Thabazimbi Local Municipality.
Some 350 electoral staff were engaged at voting stations and over 100 permanent
staff of the Electoral Commission also assisted to manage these stations. This
included staff from the Limpopo and other provincial and national offices. This
was to ensure that nothing was left to chance given the demonstrated thorough
preparation and knowledge of staff to ensure a seamless voting process across
the municipality.
With over 51 000 registered voters eligible to participate in this
important democratic exercise in Thabazimbi, the Electoral Commission is
encouraged by the turnout of voters in this By-Election of 38.55% (19 812 votes
out of 51 399 registered voters). This falls within the range of our normal
by-election turnout of 40%.
Of particular interest to the Electoral Commission, is the
observation of how the participants have accepted the by-elections results,
heralding them as free and fair. This is testimony to the professionalism with
which the Electoral Commission has conducted these by-elections.
The first results trickled in, in the early hours of this morning,
with Ward 11 being the first to complete its counting and submission to the
Results Centre at around 1am. Ward 2 results were the second to come through at
around 1:50am, and Ward 6 followed at 2:20am. The ward with the highest voter
turnout recorded is ward 4 with 48.95%, while the ward with the lowest voter
turnout is ward 11 with 18.72%.
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The Electoral Commission is confident that not only were the
by-elections free and fair but also that the outcomes reflect the wishes of the
voters of Thabazimbi Municipality. There is no outright winner in these
by-elections, but the outcomes have been accepted by the participants and that
inspires confidence that the Electoral Commission has indeed delivered on its
constitutional mandate of strengthening democracy in the Republic.
We are also pleased to report that we have not received any
objections so far from any of the 21 parties and five (5) independent
candidates. However, in terms of section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act,
participants who are aggrieved about the results can still submit their
objections by no later than 5pm tomorrow, 6 December 2024, by submitting such
an objection to [email protected]
Of further interest are the voter gender and age breakdowns for
the by-elections below.
|
Province |
-Limpopo
|
|
|
|
Municipality
|
-LIM361 -
Thabazimbi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sum of VP_Voters
|
-VP_Gender
|
|
|
|
VP_Age
|
-F
|
-M
|
-Grand Total
|
|
18-19
|
-223
|
-162
|
-385
|
|
20-29
|
-1 734
|
-1 434
|
-3 168
|
|
30-39
|
-2 430
|
-2 363
|
-4 793
|
|
40-49
|
-2 181
|
-2 850
|
-5 031
|
|
50-59
|
-1 803
|
-1 952
|
-3 755
|
|
60-69
|
-1 130
|
-1 047
|
-2 177
|
|
70+
|
-614
|
-544
|
-1 158
|
|
Grand Total
|
-10 115
|
-10 352
|
-20 467
|
Province |
-Limpopo
|
|
|
|
Municipality
|
-LIM361 -
Thabazimbi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sum of VP_Voters
|
-VP_Gender
|
|
|
|
VP_Age
|
-F
|
-M
|
-Grand Total
|
|
18-19
|
-1.09%
|
-0.79%
|
-1.88%
|
|
20-29
|
-8.47%
|
-7.01%
|
-15.48%
|
|
30-39
|
-11.87%
|
-11.55%
|
-23.42%
|
|
40-49
|
-10.66%
|
-13.92%
|
-24.58%
|
|
50-59
|
-8.81%
|
-9.54%
|
-18.35%
|
|
60-69
|
-5.52%
|
-5.12%
|
-10.64%
|
|
70+
|
-3.00%
|
-2.66%
|
-5.66%
|
|
Grand Total
|
-49.42%
|
-50.58%
|
-100.00%
|
Acknowledgements
Finally, the Commission
extends its gratitude to:
- All voters who exercised their
democratic right to vote.
- Political parties, candidates,
and their agents for their commitment to peaceful and fair elections.
- Members of the media who
reported on the elections.
- The Electoral Commission staff
and security agencies for ensuring the smooth conduct of the elections.
Conclusion
The Electoral Commission remains committed to delivering
free, fair, and credible elections. The successful conclusion of these
by-elections reinforces the strength of South Africa's electoral democracy.
For detailed by-election results, please visit the Electoral
Commission’s website at https://results.elections.org.za/home/downloads/mbe-results.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
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elections
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