DA retains Kouga with outright majority

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured a decisive victory in Kouga, an Eastern Cape municipality that includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, and Hankey, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) results. The DA captured 58.55% of the vote, with 18 seats, decisively outpacing the African National Congress (ANC) who secured 24.75% and eight seats. This win marks the DA's fourth consecutive term in Kouga, a council they have governed since 2016.

Kouga was the only municipality in the Eastern Cape that the DA managed to win outright as of Thursday evening, as the ANC continued to hold sway in the rest of the province. Nationally, the ANC held 46.89% of the vote while the DA secured 18.41%, with 66% of the votes tallied.

Earlier in the day, the DA's lead in Kouga had been substantial, sitting at nearly 68%. However, as more votes from different areas came in, this lead gradually eroded. In the 2021 local government elections, the DA had won 16 of Kouga's 29 seats, maintaining its majority.

Mayor of Kouga, Hattingh Bornman, who succeeded Horatio Hendricks in 2023, emphasized the DA's commitment to maintaining the municipality's well-being for all residents. Kouga, situated in the Sarah Baartman District, is home to over 100,000 people and has historically relied on tourism and farming as primary economic drivers. Currently, the municipality is striving to become an energy hub, with multiple wind and renewable energy projects underway.

The DA's resounding victory in Kouga underscores its continued strong performance in local elections, as the party also leads the count in neighboring Nelson Mandela Bay, where it stands at 40.68% against the ANC's 27.37%.