ANC calls up big guns for by-elections

Published Aug 5, 2013

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Cape Town - Political parties in the Western Cape called in their heavyweights to help campaign in the run-up to the seven by-elections being held on Wednesday.

ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and party secretary general Gwede Mantashe visited municipalities in the past week, while prominent DA party leaders, including Health MEC Theuns Botha and mayor Patricia de Lille, helped with their party’s campaign.

The DA cancelled the provincial government’s cabinet meeting this Wednesday so that its MECs could help.

The ANC and DA will contest one ward in each of the four municipalities in Graafwater, Hermanus, George and Plettenberg Bay.

In Oudtshoorn three wards are up for grabs.

Only Ward 3 in Berg River, on the West Coast, is not contested by smaller parties.

The ANC has to retain all three Oudtshoorn wards to keep control of the municipality, while the DA only has to win one to take it.

The municipality has been unable to convene a council meeting and form a quorum to pass the budget since five of 11 ANC councillors resigned in May.

The DA has refused to attend a council meeting after it failed in an attempt to take control of the municipality.

Both parties said on Sunday they were confident they would win control of Oudtshoorn.

In the 2011 local government elections, the ANC won 42 percent of the vote and the DA 46 percent, but the ANC took control by forming a coalition with two smaller parties.

This year the ANC failed to remove its own mayor, Gordon April, after its own councillors did not return to a sitting.

ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile said the issue of the mayor would be dealt with after the by-elections and they were focused on winning back community trust.

“Our leaders have gone to apologise to the community for putting up councillors that sold their souls to the highest bidder,” he said.

DA provincial leader Ivan Meyer said they were certain of a win. The DA has two former ANC councillors, Hendrik Ruiters and Jurie Harmse, running as candidates.

In Ward 5 in Graafwater, in the Berg River municipality, the ANC’s candidate, Dirk Adams, ran on a DA ticket in 2011. The DA won 53 percent of the vote then and the ANC 35 percent.

Meyer said the DA hoped to retain this ward or they would have to go into a coalition government with Cope.

In Plettenberg Bay, the DA hopes to exit its coalition government with Cope by taking Ward 4 from the ANC.

Two years ago the ANC won the ward with 135 votes from the DA.

There are 26 478 registered voters eligible to vote in one of the seven wards on Wednesday.

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