MINORITY parties seem confident about doing well in next month’s municipal election, with ward candidates and party leaders saying residents are fed up with slow job creation and a lack of housing.
The Western Cape has the highest number of political parties in the country registered to contest this year’s municipal elections, with a total of 66, while Limpopo has the second highest, with 33 registered political parties.
Khoi Frank, deputy president of the Khoi Revolution party, encouraged people, especially those of Khoisan descent, to vote to have the “First People’s” legacy and heritage recognised.
The party was launched in January this year, born out of frustration at the lack of development of the Khoisan people
Frank said more than 98% of coloured people in Cape Town were of Khoisan descent.
“Our campaigning has been made easy by the leading parties not providing basic services, jobs and housing to the people. They are giving jobs to people who come from the Eastern Cape, and continue to overlook us (Khoisan).
"We have been marginalised since the beginning of time, and even more when it comes to housing and work opportunities.We do not have lots of funds, but our main aim is to protect the First People and legally recognise them," Frank said.
Al Jama-ah party leader and president Ganief Hendricks said the party’s “silver bullet” was the fact that it promised a full budget for every ward.
The party is ranked fifth in the province.
“We are confident that we will do much better this time, our aim is to end up third in the Western Cape. We have distributed about 200 000 flyers this year, and want to appeal to Muslims to get more involved in the political life of the country,” Hendricks said.
The African Christian Democratic Party’s (ACDP) provincial leader Ferlon Christians said he had visited several areas over the past few days, and what he found in some triggered heartbreak. Should the party be elected to govern the City, the change people hoped for in 1994 would come to life, Christians said.
“I saw young girls and boys sitting on the side of the road drinking alcohol and using drugs. It was heartbreaking to witness, and something needs to be done about it. There have been no changes on the ground since 1994, and we want people to voluntarily vote for real change.”
Vryheidsfront Plus mayoral candidate for Cape Town, Andre Fourie, said the party had made conscious efforts to campaign outside its traditional supporting areas.
“We are happy at the moment about moving into areas such as the Cape Flats. "Traditionally, our areas have included Cape Town, the South Peninsula, Blouberg and the Helderberg area. But we have noticed that many people are unhappy about empty promises and infighting in the ruling party,” Fourie said.
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