Votes have been counted, coalition talks are being held and planning for the first National Assembly is in full swing.
Political figures and academics such as Professor Thuli Madonsela, described the 2024 national and provincial election as “the new 1994” and the biggest and most contested one since the first democratic election of 30 years ago.
The results seen at national level where ANC support dropped with 17,32% and provincially with 7,29%, was also echoed within the Overberg region.
There were no surprises in the results of the election of the three municipalities in the distribution area of ??Hermanus Times. But eyebrows were raised as the Patriotic Alliance performed very well in the Overberg.Overstrand
A total of 65 757 people were registered to vote, yet only 43 835 valid votes were actually cast. This is an increase compared to the 2019 elections where 42 915 valid votes were counted with a total of 57 815 registrations.
The voting station with the highest voter turnout was Vogelgat Nature Reserve where 46 voters registered and 44 votes were cast which make it a voter turnout of 95,65%.
The voting station with the most votes cast is the Crassula Community Hall in Betty’s Bay. There were 2 773 votes cast and 3 575 residents were registered to vote at that voting station.
The DA came in first in the Overstrand with 28 483 votes (65,50%) improving their 2019 standing with 6,14%. The ANC dropped with 4,67% and swept up only 6 977 votes.
Gayton Mackenzie’s Patriotic Alliance (PA) swept up 1 505 votes (3,46%) and the VF Plus came fourth with 1 832 votes (4,22%). The Land Party (3,08%) and the EFF (2,27%) wrested fifth and six place. Theewaterskloof
In the Theewaterskloof municipal area Gayton Mackenzie’s Patriotic Alliance (PA) swept up 3 437 votes (10,97%) while Good got 2005 votes (6,40%).
In total 63 392 citizens registered to vote but only 31 531 votes were cast (50,54). The DA placed first with 14 000 (44,67%) votes, a 4,25% drop compared to the 2019 elections. In the second place is the ANC with 8 185 (26,12%), a steep decline compared to 2019 when the party received 36,45%. The EFF also showed an improvement of 0,93% with 1 313 votes. Cape Agulhas
Despite the controversial dismissal of its Mayor, Paul Swart, the residents of Cape Agulhas cast their votes on 29 May. A total of 22 152 voters were registered to vote, and only 13 279 votes were actually cast (59,94%).
At the Nelson Mandela Community Hall 3 484 voters registered and only 1 449 cast their votes (41,59%).
The Suidpunt Dutch Reformed Church Hall had the best turnout with 2 579 registered voters and 2 168 (84,06%) cast their votes.
The top four parties are the DA with 7 453 votes (56,45%), the ANC with 2 525 (19,12%), the PA with 1 975 (14,96%) and the VF Plus 469 votes (3,53%).
The ANC indicated a steep decline in supporters with 9,55%. Regional ballot paper
The 2024 elections also saw the introduction of the third, regional ballot paper, which received 88 535 valid votes in the Overstrand, Cape Agulhas and Theewaterskloof municipal areas.
In first place, the DA received 27 612 votes (63,67%) in the Overstrand, while the ANC placed second with 7 327 votes (16,90%). The VF Plus placed third with 1 832 votes (4,22%).
In the Cape Agulhas Municipal area the DA is first with 7 334 votes (55,62%), the ANC second with 2 530 votes (19,19%) and the PA third with 1 973 votes (14,96%).
In the Theewaterskloof municipal area the DA is the winner with 13 652 votes (43,83%), the ANC second with 8 335 votes (26,76 %) and the PA with 3 698 votes (11,87%).
Safety
No incidents of violence or intimidation were reported at the voting stations and according to Brigadier Donovan Heilbron, deputy district commissioner of the police in the Overberg, additional police officials as well as officers from the Public Order Police (POP) unit were deployed to maintain safety and security during the elections.
“In the Overberg we had a total of 113 voting station of which 13 stations were classified as medium-risk. This was based on previous incidents during elections, the crime rate of that specific area as well as the possibility of disruptions due to community dissatisfaction,” Heilbron explained.
Three of these stations (two in Grabouw and one in Caledon) were in the Theewaterskloof municipal district, six in Zwelihle and one in Stanford in the Overstrand and three in Swellendam.
