The euphoria and excitement of the 2014 general election have come and gone.

For residents, the national ballot held few surprises. The ANC (African National Congress) is still firmly in the driving seat with 62.15% of the national vote, and the DA (Democratic Alliance) is still the country’s official opposition party with 22.23% of the vote. As for third place on the national ballot, new kid on the block the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) ruffled a couple of feathers, drawing 6.35% of national voter support and cementing their position as one of the top three political players in the country.

The EFF also made a strong showing on the provincial ballot, with the party securing 10.74% of the vote in Limpopo, home of party leader Julius Malema. They finished as runners-up to the ANC, who drew 78.60% of voter support in Limpopo. The DA drew 6.48% of the vote in Limpopo, securing them a third place. The voter turnout for Limpopo was 60.72%.

With the results of the national and provincial ballot old news by now, the Zoutpansberger decided to take a closer look at local voter trends and party support at voting stations in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) and Musina during the 2014 general elections. The statistics are for the towns only and do not include voting stations in outside areas.

To sum up the elections at a local level, the ANC is still well in control, although the party showed a 1% to 10% decrease in voter support at almost all voting stations. The EFF made the strongest showing, ousting COPE (Congress of the People) as a player at almost all voting stations (the EFF also ousted COPE as the official opposition party in Limpopo). The DA is still in the running, recording a slight increase in voter support at almost all voting stations. In short, the biggest winners were the EFF and the biggest loser was COPE.

Here is a breakdown of the election results at the voting stations in the two towns (in brackets are the voting district numbers):

Makhado (Louis Trichardt)

Makhado Show Hall (76060010)

The DA held on to its lead by drawing 51.12% of the vote. The ANC came in second with 32.87%, while the Freedom Front Plus secured 6.19% of the vote, slightly more than the EFF, who recorded 5.3% of the vote. Both the DA and ANC showed a slight increase.

Makhado Comprehensive Secondary School (76060582)

The ANC took a slight dip in support, but still won 55.08% of the vote. The EFF secured impressive support by ousting the DA from the 2009 runner-up position with 26.35%. The DA dropped to third place with 13.63%, almost 10% down in voter support from 2009.

De-Montfort Catholic School (76060638)

The ANC regained its lead at this voting station which it lost in the 2009 election to the DA. The ANC drew 44.23% of the vote. It was, however, still a close race with the DA in second place with 40.46% of the vote. The EFF was third with 9.11%.

Masedi Combined School / Tshikota (76060234)

Down from their 86.17% in 2009, the ANC still secured 77.25% of the vote. The DA showed good growth with 13.39% voter support (up from their 2.24% in 2009), while the EFF secured 7.26%. COPE, who took second place in 2009 with 7.88%, is now out of the mix at this voting station.

Emmanuel Christian Church (76060010)

The DA secured a healthy lead, growing their voter support from 49.35% in 2009 to 60.79% in the recent election. The ANC was in second place, about 5% down from 2009 with 25.19%. In third place was the Freedom Front Plus with 6.08% of the votes, just ahead of the EFF with 4.96%. Here also, COPE lost a top spot.

Makhado Town Library (76060021)

Once again the DA showed a huge growth in voter support, taking the lead with 54.92% of the vote (way up from their 42.98% in 2009). The ANC came in second, down once more from their 39.33% in 2009, with 27.74% voter support. The Freedom Front Plus was in third place again with 7.04% of the vote, closely followed by the EFF with 6.63%. Again, no significant support for COPE, who took third place in 2009.

Musina

Musina High School (76070033)

The ANC secured 81.68% of the vote, down almost 8% from their 89.18% in 2009. The EEF once again succeeded in knocking COPE out of the running for second place, with 9.32% of the vote. The DA took third place with 4.5%, slightly better than their 3.14% in 2009.

Lerato Crèche (76070066)

The ANC renewed its lead by securing 85.21% of the vote, about 6% down in support from 2009. The EEF came in second with 9.1%, with the DA securing 3.16% of votes. Although they finished third, support from the DA is up from the 1.57% they secured at this voting station in 2009.

Musina Show Hall (76070011)

It was good news for the DA at this voting station, snatching away victory from the ANC with 50.97% (42.88% in 2009). Support for the ANC at this voting station declined from 57.91% in 2004, to 43.82% in 2009 to 35.49% in 2014. At this voting station, the EFF secured 7.62% for a third place.

Renaissance Secondary School  (76070088)        

Here the ANC was still the party of choice, securing 88.07%, albeit down from their 90.97% in 2009. Again the EFF took the 2009 runner-up position away from COPE, rallying 5.93% of the vote. The DA was third-best party with 4.57%, with another slight increase of about 2,5% from 2009.

Shanduka Crèche (76070123)

The ANC is still in the driving seat after securing 85.55% of the vote (down almost 6% from their 90.97% in 2009). COPE is once again knocked out of the running and replaced by the EFF in second place, with 8.32%. The DA secured 4.05% in third place, up from their 2.61% in 2009.

St Martin de Porres Primary School (76070055)

Here the biggest loser was the DA. After being the runner-up in 2004 and 2009, and despite a slight increase in support from 2009, they dropped to third place with 4.57% of the vote, having to make way for the EFF (5.26%). Here the ANC is still firmly in control with 88.46%, virtually the same voter percentage as in 2009.

Beitbridge Primary (76070022)

Here support for the ANC is down from 90.97% in 2009 to 84.11% in 2014, but it was still a comfortable win for the party. The EFF took second place once more with 8.15% at the expense of 2009 runner-up COPE. The DA had to be content with third place with 5.8%, a slight increase of 3% in support from 2009.

El-Shadai (76070077)

The DA hung on to its lead at this voting station, securing 56.89% of the vote (more than 10% better than in 2009). Support for the ANC dropped from 42.94% in 2009 to 28.51%, making them the runners-up, with the EFF taking third place with 5.14% .

Makushu Primary School (76070112)

The voters at this voting station gave the ANC a 10% knock from 88.77% in 2009 to 78.8% in 2014. The EFF made a strong showing, securing 10.6%, at the expense of the previous runners-up, COPE. The DA was in third place with 6.45% of the vote – a healthy increase of just more than 4% from 2009.

Nancefield Community Hall (76070044)

The ANC retained the lead with 82.41% of votes, slightly down from 88.77% in 2009. The EFF made a strong showing with 9.19%, ousting COPE as the runners-up in 2009. The DA got 5.41% of the vote, but this is nearly double their 2.25% in 2009.

Rixile Primary School (76070101)

Here the ANC took a 10% knock from 2009. Their 78.88%, however, still put them in the lead. The EFF also made its mark at this voting station, securing 10.79% of the vote to take second place. Despite coming third, the DA's support grew from 3.14% in 2009 to 7.19% in 2014 - more than double what it had before.