POSTMASBURG, NORTHERN CAPE — The Rise Tsantsabane Communities (RTC), a newly established political formation, has emerged as the decisive winner in the Tsantsabane Local Municipality elections, capturing nearly half of the total vote in a stunning political upset in the Northern Cape.
Despite being established just nine months ago, the Postmasburg-based party bagged an impressive 48.8% of the vote in the Tsantsabane Local Municipality. This overwhelming mandate has secured the RTC seven of the 13 available council seats, effectively relegating the African National Congress (ANC) to the opposition benches with three Proportional Representation (PR) seats. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) each secured one seat.
Beyond Tsantsabane, the RTC also made significant inroads in the neighboring Danielskuil area, securing two seats in the Kgatelopele Local Municipality council.
Following the results, party founders and supporters gathered to sing and cheer, celebrating what many are calling a historic upset. An elated local supporter, who voted for the new formation, attributed the victory to the grassroots efforts of the party’s leadership.
“I voted for the RTC because I had hope in our mayor, Mr. Mabilo,” the supporter said. “Not only because of the RTC, but Mr. Mabilo has been on the ground. He has been a very active member, and our community members know how he has done so much for the community.”
The supporter noted that while the RTC has only been actively standing in Postmasburg for seven months, the promise of change is already visible. “The changes are coming here in Postmasburg. We’re going to remove every obstacle that does not belong here. Even the ANC, we’re going to remove the elephant in the room,” the supporter added.
The driving forces behind the RTC is Michael Mabilo. Mabilo, who serves as the RTC President, brings two decades of political experience to the new formation, having previously served as a PR councillor for the ANC.
Addressing the media, Mabilo emphasized that his administration will not waste time adhering to the traditional “first 100 days” grace period often afforded to new governments. Because he and the RTC secretary previously served on the Tsantsabane council, they are already intimately familiar with the municipality’s systemic challenges.
“For us, our focus area won’t even be the first 100 days,” Mabilo stated. “Because of the power invested in us, it’s just to get in there and do what needs to be done. Our focus is not the 100 days; for us, it is to immediately correct what needs to be corrected when we enter.”
Mabilo pointed to visible service delivery failures in Postmasburg, such as uncollected refuse and potholes, as immediate priorities. “We cannot say let’s wait for 100 days. Based on our experience, we are going to make sure that immediately when we resume office, we start,” he said, expressing confidence that the community would be proud of their swift action.
Looking ahead to the formation of the new council, the RTC leadership clarified their stance on coalitions. Mabilo noted that the party’s current majority means they do not strictly need a coalition to govern. However, he added that should the need arise in the future, the RTC remains open to partnering with the DA.
