EVATON WEST — The Democratic Alliance won the Evaton West ward in a May by-election by eight votes, unseating the African National Congress. The Democratic Alliance stated that this victory marked its first win in a 100-percent black township ward in South Africa. During the by-election, the Democratic Alliance received just over 32 percent of the vote, while the African National Congress received just under 32 percent. In the 2021 local elections, the Democratic Alliance received approximately half of its recent vote share in Evaton West. The African National Congress had won more than 50 percent of the vote in Evaton West in the 2021 local elections.

Residents cited deteriorating service delivery as a reason for their votes. Evaton West resident Lesedi Lesejane voted for the Democratic Alliance for the first time in the by-election. "They cry for our votes but we don't get service delivery," Lesejane said. "We can't live like we are animals." Khotso Motsepe, another Evaton West resident, also voted for the first time in the by-election. "Our roads are bad. Almost every morning, we don't have water," Motsepe said. He added, "I have seen in some places where the DA is governing that they have water and electricity." Zikhali Barthman, a long-time African National Congress supporter, said, "But I just could not vote for it anymore. We are desperate for better services."

Municipal workers were observed repairing a road in Evaton West during the reporting period, a road that residents said had been affected by potholes for years. Hassan Mako, the African National Congress mayor of the Emfuleni municipality, rejected suggestions that this road repair work was timed with the election in mind. Kingsol Chabalala, the Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for Emfuleni, commented on the win, saying, "We are definitely rewriting history." Chabalala added that "The propaganda that is put out there, that the DA is a white party, is fading away." The Democratic Alliance was formed in 2000 through the merger of three primarily white parties.

Local government expert Susan Booysen stated that voters in such instances are often "voting in desperation for services instead of party identity just to escape the dire living circumstances we know are so widespread." Booysen also said, "These are early days and that is just one ward amongst several hundred." Political analyst Dirk Kotze observed that "Local politics has become more about (local) interests and who can improve the quality of people's lives." Kotze also noted the slim margin of victory, stating, "The DA will use the win as part of their campaign but if you analyse it, they won with eight votes."

The African National Congress won majorities in 161 of 213 councils in the 2021 elections. Nationally, the African National Congress received 46 percent of the vote in the 2021 elections, which marked the first time its national vote share dipped below 50 percent since 1994. Municipal elections in South Africa are scheduled for November.