The DA picked up two seats in the Western Cape, edging the Patriotic Alliance in a Cederberg by-election and beating the ANC in the town of Bonnievale in the Langeberg municipality. The ANC retained a seat in Mogale City on the West Rand of Gauteng, despite losing ground to ActionSA in a traditionally safe ANC seat.

Western Cape

Ward 4 (Graafwater Eland's Bay) Cederberg, West Coast: DA 35% (18%) PA 34% (21%) ANC 22% (31%) NCC 7% Cederberg Eerste 2% (23%) TRUTH <1%

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The setting: Ward 4 covers the small town of Graafwater, the surfing village of Eland's Bay and the farming area of Sandberg, well known for its Sandveld potatoes. Most of the voters in Ward 4 cast their ballots in Graafwater.

The main towns in Cederberg are Citrusdal and Clanwilliam.

The 2021 local government election: The ANC beat the local Cederberg Eerste (CE) party by 230 votes. Four parties were in the running, with the PA beating the DA to third place. Three different parties won one of the three voting districts. The ANC won in Eland's Bay, the second-most populous district. CE struggled here, finishing fourth, 243 votes behind the ANC. The CE's poor showing in Eland's Bay cost it dearly. The PA came second in Eland's Bay with 29% and the DA was third with 24%.

CE came first in Graafwater, beating the ANC by 29 votes. CE won a third of the vote here, with the ANC hot on its heels with 31%....