DA retains Parow, Bellville wards with dips in support

The DA has retained control over wards in Parow and Bellville, but it has seen marked drops in support in these traditionally blue bastions.

In Ward 10, Jacoline Visser will serve a second term as councillor after the DA won with 70.74% of the votes. The party swept all seven voting districts - Northlink College Protea campus in Bellville, Parow High School, Saffier Primary School, Protea Hall at Tygerberg Hospital, Northway Primary School, Pinedene Primary School and Florida High School - but the result was markedly down from the 85.22% the DA scored in 2016.

The ANC held on to second place with 4.6%, down from 7.41% in 2016, and newcomers, the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC), took third place with 4.57%.

The Good party came fourth with 4.41% and the ACDP 4.08%, up from 1.75% in 2016.

Ward 10 encompasses Avondale, Bellville CBD, parts of Parow, Belgravia, Oakdale, Kempenville and Oosterzee. There was a 47.51% turnout among the ward’s 16 882 registered voters.

“One of my biggest challenges in Ward 10 is illegal dumping, poor infrastructure and the carelessness regarding rubble in the residential areas,” said Ms Visser.

There were plans to fence off several recently upgraded parks in the ward, she said.

The DA also held on to Ward 2 with 82%, down from 92% in 2016. The new councillor is Roger Canon.

The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) was second with 5%, up from 1.87%; the ACDP was third with 2.91%, up from 1.87%; and the Good party came fourth with 2.19%, ahead of the ANC with 1.9%, which was up from 1.18%.

The DA won all eight voting districts in Ward 2, namely: the Dutch Reformed Church, Parow Park Holmes, Parow Senior Sentrum, Parow civic centre, Tygerberg High School, Totius Primary School, Vredelust Primary School and DF Malan High School.

The ward covers Bosbell, Boston, Clamhall, Parow North, Vredelust (Bellville), De Tijger and Belvedere Tygerberg.

A Boston man, who voted at the Totius Primary School voting station but declined to give his name, said he had lived in the area for 42 years and felt attention needed to be given to the poor state of the Bellville station, reckless taxis and break-ins.

“They’ve now broken in again for the fourth time within the year at my house, so I’ve had to put up security. So basically I’d say safety in the area is a issue,” he said.

The FF+, ACDP, ANC, CCC, Good party and Mr Cannon did not respond to questions by time of publication.