The Bitou Local Municipality council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation . Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards , while the remaining six are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 no party obtained a majority; the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) won six seats each, with the remaining seat going to the Congress of the People (COPE). The DA and COPE formed a coalition to govern the municipality.[ 1]
The DA won a ward from the ANC in a by-election held in 2014, and governed Bitou alone with an outright majority of seats on the council.[ 2]
A hung council was elected following the 2016 municipal elections, with the DA and ANC each winning six seats, and the final seat going to the Active United Front (AUF). The AUF chose to join forces with the ANC. However, six months later, in April 2017, the AUF announced that the partnership had fallen apart because the ANC had frustrated attempts to establish clean administration, had failed to commit resources to address problems, had not implemented the coalition agreement, and had not signed the agreed-upon service delivery plan. The DA and AUF negotiated for a month, following which the DA gained control of the municipality.[ 3]
Results
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
December 2000 election
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.
[ 4]
Party Ward List Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats African National Congress 5,400 59.85 3 5,525 61.94 3 6 Democratic Alliance 3,290 36.46 2 3,395 38.06 2 4 Independent candidates 333 3.69 0 0 Total 9,023 100.00 5 8,920 100.00 5 10 Valid votes 9,023 97.45 8,920 96.63 Invalid/blank votes 236 2.55 311 3.37 Total votes 9,259 100.00 9,231 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 13,797 67.11 13,797 66.91
October 2002 floor crossing
In terms of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the judgment of the Constitutional Court in United Democratic Movement v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others cross the floor to a different political party without losing their seats.
In the Plettenberg Bay council, one councillor crossed from the Democratic Alliance (DA) to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA, and another councillor left the DA to sit as an independent.[ 5]
September 2004 floor crossing
Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which the NNP councillor crossed to the ANC.[ 6]
March 2006 election
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[ 7]
Party Ward List Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats African National Congress 7,143 60.20 5 7,072 59.84 2 7 Democratic Alliance 3,582 30.19 1 3,690 31.22 2 3 Independent Democrats 729 6.14 0 741 6.27 1 1 United Democratic Movement 120 1.01 0 148 1.25 0 0 Independent candidates 203 1.71 0 0 United Independent Front 67 0.56 0 66 0.56 0 0 African Christian Democratic Party 21 0.18 0 102 0.86 0 0 Total 11,865 100.00 6 11,819 100.00 5 11 Valid votes 11,865 98.78 11,819 98.44 Invalid/blank votes 147 1.22 187 1.56 Total votes 12,012 100.00 12,006 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 19,167 62.67 19,167 62.64
By-elections from May 2011 to August 2016
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in March 2006 and May 2011.[ 8]
May 2011 election
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[ 9]
Party Ward List Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Democratic Alliance 7,950 45.77 2 8,552 49.35 4 6 African National Congress 7,825 45.05 5 7,955 45.91 1 6 Congress of the People 466 2.68 0 473 2.73 1 1 Independent candidates 780 4.49 0 0 African Christian Democratic Party 295 1.70 0 277 1.60 0 0 Plettenberg Bay Community Forum 34 0.20 0 48 0.28 0 0 Cape Independence Party 21 0.12 0 23 0.13 0 0 Total 17,371 100.00 7 17,328 100.00 6 13 Valid votes 17,371 98.59 17,328 98.63 Invalid/blank votes 249 1.41 241 1.37 Total votes 17,620 100.00 17,569 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 24,975 70.55 24,975 70.35
By-elections from May 2011 to August 2016
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.[ 8]
August 2016 election
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[ 10]
Party Ward List Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Democratic Alliance 9,141 48.60 4 9,141 48.56 2 6 African National Congress 7,746 41.19 3 7,673 40.76 3 6 Active United Front 1,026 5.46 0 989 5.25 1 1 Economic Freedom Fighters 353 1.88 0 338 1.80 0 0 African Christian Democratic Party 205 1.09 0 210 1.12 0 0 African Independent Congress 148 0.79 0 263 1.40 0 0 Congress of the People 93 0.49 0 87 0.46 0 0 Bitou Independent Party 51 0.27 0 62 0.33 0 0 United Democratic Movement 19 0.10 0 41 0.22 0 0 Democratic New Civic Association 16 0.09 0 11 0.06 0 0 Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa 9 0.05 0 8 0.04 0 0 Total 18,807 100.00 7 18,823 100.00 6 13 Valid votes 18,807 99.05 18,823 98.97 Invalid/blank votes 181 0.95 195 1.03 Total votes 18,988 100.00 19,018 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 27,867 68.14 27,867 68.25
By-elections from August 2016 to November 2021
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.[ 8]
November 2021 election
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[ 11]
Party Ward List Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Democratic Alliance 7,914 40.22 3 7,921 40.50 2 5 African National Congress 5,685 28.89 3 5,726 29.28 1 4 Active United Front 1,806 9.18 0 1,738 8.89 1 1 Plett Democratic Congress 1,335 6.78 1 1,219 6.23 0 1 Patriotic Alliance 1,125 5.72 0 1,118 5.72 1 1 Ikhwezi Political Movement 610 3.10 0 645 3.30 1 1 Economic Freedom Fighters 299 1.52 0 269 1.38 0 0 Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party 160 0.81 0 147 0.75 0 0 African Transformation Movement 145 0.74 0 144 0.74 0 0 African Christian Democratic Party 107 0.54 0 128 0.65 0 0 Good 104 0.53 0 106 0.54 0 0 Bitou Concerned Residents 91 0.46 0 100 0.51 0 0 The Organic Humanity Movement 86 0.44 0 71 0.36 0 0 Citizens Rights Protection Unity 76 0.39 0 71 0.36 0 0 Pan Africanist Congress of Azania 48 0.24 0 56 0.29 0 0 Cape Independence Party 46 0.23 0 50 0.26 0 0 Africa Restoration Alliance 35 0.18 0 26 0.13 0 0 Dagga Party 5 0.03 0 21 0.11 0 0 Total 19,677 100.00 7 19,556 100.00 6 13 Valid votes 19,677 98.96 19,556 98.89 Invalid/blank votes 207 1.04 219 1.11 Total votes 19,884 100.00 19,775 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 30,863 64.43 30,863 64.07
Notes
^ The former councillor was re-elected to the ward as an independent.
References
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