Johannesburg – The ANC’s retention of Ward 9 in the Tlokwe by-election indicates that the DA is not the answer to the ruling party’s dominance, the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) said on Thursday.

“Despite expectations that the African National Congress’s internal woes in North West could benefit the Democratic Alliance, they did not actually pose any threat,” CDP leader Theunis Botha said in a statement.

“Although the latest by-election results in Tlokwe indicate that smaller parties did not make much headway, it also shows that the DA is not a clear-cut solution to ending the ANC regime’s dominance.”

Botha said parties with a Christian ethos should consider joining forces.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Thursday that the ANC had retained control of Ward 9 in Tlokwe, with 738 votes out of a total of 1 458 valid votes cast at two polling stations.

Independent candidate Khotso Ratikoane received 504 of the vote, putting him in second place.

The ward was also contested by the DA, which got 196 votes, the Congress of the People (Cope), which received eight votes, and the African People’s Convention, which got 12 votes.

‘Resounding success’

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) congratulated the ANC on its “resounding success” in the by-election.

“The victory came after a well-oiled campaign to undermine the gains of the ANC by both its disgruntled members and the opposition parties,” spokesperson Vusumuzi Bhengu said in a statement.

The ANC’s supporters, including activists and young people, had mobilised in an extensive door-to-door campaign, he said.

“Thus, the overwhelming victory of the ANC was solely based on the vast human mass that rallied behind their long-established movement of struggle.”

Earlier, National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) North West secretary Patrick Makhafane congratulated the ANC on winning the by-election.

“Nehawu in the North West province congratulates both the ANC and the revolutionary alliance for their convincing win in the recently held by-elections in the area.”

Makhafane said the victory should be used to regain control of the municipality and restore people’s confidence in the ANC in preparation for the 2014 general elections.

– SAPA