Alex Matlala The ANC in Limpopo had apologised for poor service delivery and the latest results showed beyond any doubt that the apology had been accepted. If the preliminary Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) poll results are anything to go by, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) dream of governing Limpopo will remain a dream for now. The tally of votes at the time of going to print showed that the governing ANC had left the red berets in the dust by a massive margin in the home province of EFF leader, Julius Malema. The EFF boasted on Wednesday that its dream of leading in North West, Gauteng and Limpopo was close at hand. Yesterday, Malema said the party was optimistic of a strong finish. He said the party would accept any outcome provincially and nationally. “We will accept the outcome of the results. Even if it is two votes, we will welcome them with both hands. “That will be the true reflection of what our people feel about the EFF on the ground. It will mean we should stand up and dust ourselves off and soldier on,” Malema told a crowd in Seshego after voting. However, he said the race was still on until the last vote was counted. He added that he believed the party’s performance would be better than in the last election in 2014. EFF provincial leader Jossey Buthane said indications on the ground were that the people of Seshego and Limpopo in general loved the EFF, hence the large turnout at various polling stations. ANC Limpopo deputy provincial secretary Basikopo Makamu said yesterday: “We are humbled by the gesture of our electorate. They proved beyond any shadow of doubt that the ANC can indeed be separated from the boys.” Makamu said the ANC in Limpopo had apologised for poor service delivery in some parts of the province and the latest results showed beyond any doubt that the apology had been accepted. “We hope to do well in this province and ensure that all people get services from our government promptly as required. But we will wait until the last whistle is blown before we jump,” he said. Masilo Maloko, an ANC pundit in Tzaneen, said he had organised a plethora of gigs and braais for those who worked on the ANC campaigns. For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.<doc-sep>Vote counting in the 2019 National and Provincial Elections has reached the final stages with the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) vote capturing process at 99.77%, shortly after 6am. According to the leader board at the commission’s national Results Operation Centre (ROC) in Pretoria, not only was the vote capturing process at 99.77% but valid votes cast had exceeded the 17 million mark. A total of 26.7 million South Africans had registered to vote in the country’s sixth National and Provincial Elections. On Saturday morning, there had been 17 338 063 valid votes cast. As at 6:42am, a total 22 874 out of a total 22 925 voting districts had completed counting and the leader board showed that the African National Congress (ANC) had garnered 9 967 153 (57.49 %) votes while the Democratic Alliance (DA) was sitting at 3 606 459 (20.79%) votes and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at 1 864 481 (10.76%) in the national results so far. These are the three parties that are leading in the race for national government. Find the results here However, other political parties have made their mark on the leader board with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) garnering 587 447 of the votes so far, followed by the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) at 412 597 and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) at 145 665. Provincial results On a provincial basis, vote counting in the Eastern Cape had been completed at the province’s 4791 voting districts with the ANC leading with 68.74% of the vote, followed closely by the DA with 15.73% of vote. Counting was also complete in the Free State with the ANC obtaining 61.14% of the votes cast the province’s 1529 voting districts In Gauteng, counting was completed in 2719 of the 2771 district (98.12%) with the ANC at the front of the pack at 49.96% of the votes, followed by the DA with 27.73% of votes and the EFF at 14.59% of the vote. Counting has been completed in KwaZulu-Natal’s 4885 voting districts with the ANC obtaining the lion’s share of the vote at 54.22%, followed by the IFP at 16.34% placing it as the official opposition in the provincial legislature. Counting has been completed in Limpopo’s 3157 voting districts with the ANC winning the majoring of 75.49% of the vote followed by the EFF at 14.43%. Mpumalanga has also completed vote counting at 1772 of its voting districts with the ANC sitting at the top of the food chain with 70.58% of the vote followed by the EFF at 12.79% of votes. In the Northern Cape, the ANC had secured 57.54% of the vote, followed by the DA at 25.51% of the vote after vote counting concluded at the province’s 707 voting districts. The North West has also concluded counting at its 1733 voting districts, with the ANC in the lead at 61.87% followed by the EFF at 18.64%. The DA obtained the lion’s share of votes in the Western Cape with 55.45% of the vote followed by the ANC at 28.64%. The IEC is expected to announce the official results of the elections at a ceremony later this evening. Read: Coalitions to look out for after the 2019 electionsCoalitions to look out for after the 2019 elections<doc-sep>
The Independent Electoral Commission has completed its task of counting the votes cast in the 2019 national elections. The ruling party, the ANC claimed 57.5% of the count – though this reflects its worst performance in any national election. This was followed by the DA with 20.8% of the vote and the EFF with 10.8% of the vote. Smaller parties that made waves in the election include the IFP, the Freedom Front Plus, the ACDP and the UDM, all of whom will be returning to parliament this year. There were also a few parties who made their debut in the elections, and managed to secure at least some representation in parliament. This includes GOOD, led by former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, as well as the African Transformation Movement, headed up by former government spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi. The graph below outlines the final national results. While these figures represent the results of 100% of the votes counted by the IEC, the body did announce that over 1,000 voting stations would be audited amid claims of irregularities. No date has been provided for when the audits will take place or be completed. Provincial results Across the provinces, the ANC managed to secure an outright majority in almost all the regions, with the only exception being the Western Cape, where the DA maintained its majority. The party almost lost its majority in Gauteng, briefly dropping below 50% during the count, before ending on 50.19%. The graphs below outline the provincial results, showing the leading party and its closest competitors. The ANC secured a two-thirds majority in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape, and got over 50% of the vote in the Free State, Northern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. The EFF took over as the official opposition in three provinces, namely Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West. The IFP is the official opposition in KwaZulu Natal, and the DA is the official opposition in the rest (excluding the Western Cape, where the DA leads and the ANC is the official opposition). Read: Vote counting almost complete: here are the results