# Saldanha Bay Local Municipality elections

The Saldanha Bay Local Municipality consists of twenty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 1 November 2021 the Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a plurality of thirteen seats on the council.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | IND | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 9 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 2006 election | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 23 |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 10 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 23 |
| 2011 election | 8 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 2016 election | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| 2021 election | 6 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 27 |

## December 2000 election

The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 7,706 | 45.12 | 4 | 8,553 | 50.31 | 5 | 9 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 7,395 | 43.30 | 5 | 7,589 | 44.64 | 4 | 9 |
| | Independent candidates | 1,055 | 6.18 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | South African Political Alliance | 528 | 3.09 | 0 | 435 | 2.56 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 396 | 2.32 | 0 | 423 | 2.49 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 17,080 | 100.00 | 10 | 17,000 | 100.00 | 10 | 20 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 17,080 | 98.14 | | 17,000 | 97.68 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 324 | 1.86 | | 403 | 2.32 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 17,404 | 100.00 | | 17,403 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 29,863 | 58.28 | | 29,863 | 58.28 | | |

### October 2002 floor crossing

In terms of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the judgment of the Constitutional Court in United Democratic Movement v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others, in the period from 8–22 October 2002 councillors had the opportunity to cross the floor to a different political party without losing their seats. In the Saldanha Bay council the Democratic Alliance (DA) lost two councillors to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| African National Congress | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Democratic Alliance | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| New National Party | – | 2 | 2 |
| South African Political Alliance | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### September 2004 floor crossing

Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004. The independent councillor joined the United Democratic Movement.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| African National Congress | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Democratic Alliance | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| New National Party | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| South African Political Alliance | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| United Democratic Movement | – | 1 | 1 |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 |

## March 2006 election

The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 7,713 | 37.43 | 6 | 8,089 | 40.16 | 3 | 9 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 5,584 | 27.10 | 4 | 5,818 | 28.89 | 2 | 6 |
| | Independent Democrats | 2,741 | 13.30 | 0 | 3,298 | 16.37 | 3 | 3 |
| | South African Political Alliance | 1,135 | 5.51 | 0 | 1,094 | 5.43 | 1 | 1 |
| | United Independent Front | 940 | 4.56 | 0 | 913 | 4.53 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 1,764 | 8.56 | 2 | | | | 2 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 411 | 1.99 | 0 | 483 | 2.40 | 1 | 1 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 316 | 1.53 | 0 | 446 | 2.21 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 20,604 | 100.00 | 12 | 20,141 | 100.00 | 11 | 23 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 20,604 | 98.60 | | 20,141 | 96.47 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 292 | 1.40 | | 736 | 3.53 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 20,896 | 100.00 | | 20,877 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 38,131 | 54.80 | | 38,131 | 54.75 | | |

### By-elections from March 2006 to August 2007

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the election in March 2006 and the floor crossing period in September 2007.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 23 May 2007 | 7 | | African National Congress | | Independent |

### September 2007 floor crossing

The final floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2007; floor-crossing was subsequently abolished in 2008 by the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution. In the Saldanha Bay council, two of the independent councillors joined the African National Congress, and the single councillor from the United Independent Front crossed to the National People's Party.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| African National Congress | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Democratic Alliance | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Independent Democrats | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Independent | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| South African Political Alliance | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| National People's Party | — | 1 | 1 |
| United Independent Front | 1 | 1 | 0 |

## May 2011 election

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Democratic Alliance | 15,937 | 54.14 | 9 | 17,270 | 60.49 | 6 | 15 |
| | African National Congress | 8,479 | 28.80 | 3 | 9,271 | 32.47 | 5 | 8 |
| | Independent candidates | 3,109 | 10.56 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | Congress of the People | 341 | 1.16 | 0 | 397 | 1.39 | 1 | 1 |
| | Service to Our People's Party | 397 | 1.35 | 0 | 330 | 1.16 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 228 | 0.77 | 0 | 236 | 0.83 | 0 | 0 |
| | Liberal People's Party | 227 | 0.77 | 0 | 208 | 0.73 | 0 | 0 |
| | Local Government Party | 233 | 0.79 | 0 | 198 | 0.69 | 0 | 0 |
| | The Peoples Independent Civic Organisation | 172 | 0.58 | 0 | 171 | 0.60 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 74 | 0.25 | 0 | 178 | 0.62 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Political Alliance | 110 | 0.37 | 0 | 79 | 0.28 | 0 | 0 |
| | National People's Party | 70 | 0.24 | 0 | 81 | 0.28 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Progressive Civic Organisation | 59 | 0.20 | 0 | 75 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 |
| | Cape Party | | | | 57 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 29,436 | 100.00 | 13 | 28,551 | 100.00 | 12 | 25 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 29,436 | 98.51 | | 28,551 | 95.42 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 445 | 1.49 | | 1,371 | 4.58 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 29,881 | 100.00 | | 29,922 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 47,173 | 63.34 | | 47,173 | 63.43 | | |

### By-elections from May 2011 to August 2016

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 28 March 2012 | 12 | | African National Congress | | African National Congress |
| 19 February 2014 | 9 | | Independent | | African National Congress |

## August 2016 election

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Democratic Alliance | 21,207 | 60.00 | 11 | 21,661 | 62.32 | 6 | 17 |
| | African National Congress | 10,306 | 29.16 | 3 | 10,361 | 29.81 | 5 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 693 | 1.96 | 0 | 701 | 2.02 | 1 | 1 |
| | Saldanha Bay Residents Alliance | 634 | 1.79 | 0 | 499 | 1.44 | 1 | 1 |
| | Khoisan Revolution | 483 | 1.37 | 0 | 525 | 1.51 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 988 | 2.80 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 327 | 0.93 | 0 | 309 | 0.89 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 213 | 0.60 | 0 | 238 | 0.68 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Democratic Party | 210 | 0.59 | 0 | 133 | 0.38 | 0 | 0 |
| | Service to Our People's Party | 142 | 0.40 | 0 | 144 | 0.41 | 0 | 0 |
| | Ubuntu Party | 73 | 0.21 | 0 | 68 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 |
| | Cape Party | 30 | 0.08 | 0 | 38 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | | | | 58 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 |
| | Nationalist Coloured Party | 37 | 0.10 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | The Peoples Independent Civic Organisation | | | | 23 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 35,343 | 100.00 | 14 | 34,758 | 100.00 | 13 | 27 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 35,343 | 97.76 | | 34,758 | 97.57 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 809 | 2.24 | | 866 | 2.43 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 36,152 | 100.00 | | 35,624 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 56,767 | 63.68 | | 56,767 | 62.75 | | |

### By-elections from August 2016 to November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 30 May 2018 | 3 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 12 December 2018 | 5 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 18 September 2019 | 14 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 11 November 2020 | 13 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |

## November 2021 election

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Democratic Alliance | 14,190 | 45.63 | 10 | 14,524 | 47.05 | 3 | 13 |
| | African National Congress | 6,613 | 21.27 | 4 | 6,809 | 22.06 | 2 | 6 |
| | Good | 4,329 | 13.92 | 0 | 4,230 | 13.70 | 4 | 4 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 1,546 | 4.97 | 0 | 1,334 | 4.32 | 1 | 1 |
| | Patriotic Alliance | 1,365 | 4.39 | 0 | 1,309 | 4.24 | 1 | 1 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 933 | 3.00 | 0 | 988 | 3.20 | 1 | 1 |
| | Cape Coloured Congress | 436 | 1.40 | 0 | 441 | 1.43 | 1 | 1 |
| | Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party | 415 | 1.33 | 0 | 458 | 1.48 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 418 | 1.34 | 0 | 389 | 1.26 | 0 | 0 |
| | Cape Independence Party | 220 | 0.71 | 0 | 230 | 0.75 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 424 | 1.36 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Conservative Party | 123 | 0.40 | 0 | 82 | 0.27 | 0 | 0 |
| | Africa Restoration Alliance | 61 | 0.20 | 0 | 52 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 |
| | Spectrum National Party | 22 | 0.07 | 0 | 25 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 31,095 | 100.00 | 14 | 30,871 | 100.00 | 13 | 27 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 31,095 | 99.18 | | 30,871 | 98.46 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 257 | 0.82 | | 483 | 1.54 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 31,352 | 100.00 | | 31,354 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 61,441 | 51.03 | | 61,441 | 51.03 | | |
| Source: Electoral Commission |||||||||

### By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from the election in November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 6 December 2023 | 9 | | African National Congress | | Economic Freedom Fighters |
The African National Congress (ANC) councillor for ward 9 was assassinated, leading to a by-election. Only two parties stood, the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The EFF claimed victory after the ANC's share of the vote dropped 72% to 43%, while the EFF's increased from 15% to 57%.