Wednesday's three by-elections in Beaufort West could lead to a new DA government or a continuation of the PA-led administration. It could also see the reintroduction into formal politics of former Beaufort West mayor Truman Prince.

Independent elections analyst Wayne Sussman described Wednesday's by-elections in Beaufort West as "hard to predict". Three by-elections will take place in the Karoo municipality and leadership changes could follow.

Residents of the three wards, which include places such as Murraysburg and Rustdene, will go to the polls on Wednesday, 19 June to elect new ward councillors.

In March, three ward councillors resigned, prompting the by-election. They were Ralph Skuza from the ANC, and Ebenezer Botha and Nicolaas Abraham from the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

These will be the first by-elections since the 29 May general elections.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Sussman said the Karoo town's by-elections would be "more localised" than anywhere else and had several different layers which could affect the results.

"It's just very hard to predict what's going to happen," he said.

The candidates include Skuza, who will try to regain his ward, this time as an independent. Botha will represent the African Restoration Alliance when he attempts to regain his seat.

But the biggest name in this by-election is veteran politician Truman Prince, who is standing as the Ward 6 candidate for a party called the Movement of the People.

"He is the great survivor of Beaufort...