Potchefstroom – Voting in the Ward Nine by-election in Tlokwe, Potchefstroom, closed at 21:00 on Wednesday.

The gates to the Boikhotso Secondary School in Ikageng were locked and a police nyala was parked in front of the school.

Independent Electoral Commission officials were expected to start counting the votes.

Provisional results were expected later in the evening. The official results would be released on Thursday.

Supporters of the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance, the Congress of the People and community members supporting an independent candidate continued to sing and dance outside the gates.

The ANC members carried a box wrapped in white paper, portraying a coffin. They stamped on the box, breaking it, while they sang.

“It is the death of DA, Cope and the independent candidate,” they sang.

ANC Ward 12 councillor Lulu Chao said the party was waiting for results, and then celebrations would start.

“We’ve already won, we are just waiting for the formalities,” he said.

ANC Women’s League provincial secretary Meago Mateng shared Chao’s sentiments.

“We have won. We are confident the people of Tlokwe have spoken. They will do us justice to say [the] DA stole Tlokwe. They have faith in us.”

She promised that the ANC would give the community better leaders in the future.

A scuffle broke out between the police and community members outside the gate to the school.

Community members were claiming that ANC members were trying to get into the locked voting station.

Police swiftly pushed the crowd back and things settled down.

– SAPA