South Africa: DA, ANC Dominate in Rustenburg and Bushbuckridge Wards to Boost November Poll Confidence

25 June 2026
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Wayne Sussman

The DA and the ANC both enjoyed comprehensive victories in the final round of by-elections before the 2026 local government elections.

Ward 15 (Safari Tuine Protea Park) Rustenburg, Bojanala: DA 81% (72%) VF+ 19% (23%) ANC <1% (3%)

The setting: Ward 15 is southwest of the Rustenburg town centre, next to the N4 national road which links Brits with Swartruggens. It has two suburbs in its boundaries, Safari Tuine and Protea Park. Rustenburg has produced sport superstars including Rugby World Cup-winning captain John Smit and champion javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen. Rustenburg is the most-populous North West municipality and the municipality with the 13th-most registered voters in South Africa.

The 2021 local government election: The DA won more than 70% of the vote in the ward. The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) was the only other party to get into double percentage figures with a 23% haul. Both the DA and the FF+ did marginally better in the Protea Park voting district.

The 2024 provincial election: The DA won 76% of the vote, up from 60% in 2019, with the FF+ in second place with 12%, down from 27% in 2019. The ANC was third with 5%. This was the ward where the DA and the FF+ performed best in Rustenburg in 2024.

The by-election: The ward councillor died after a long illness....

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