DURBAN - WITH just over a month to go for the South African Local Government Elections on November 1, breakaway parties and independent candidates have ambitions to win their contested wards.
Disgruntled former ANC and IFP councillors are contesting the elections as independents in Buhlebezwe and Mthonjaneni local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.
Buhlebezwe is a local municipality in the Harry Gwala district in Ixopo and under the ANC while Mthonjaneni is in Melmoth in the King Cetshwayo district under the IFP.
THE IEC has registered over 32 new political parties in just over a month between August and September.
According to the IEC statistics, there are 1 181 political parties registered to contest elections but not all of them will field candidates for the November 1 polls.
Former Mthonjaneni mayor Sibonginkosi Biyela has registered as an independent candidate.
Biyela said he was working with Academic Congress Union which was formed by a former IFP member Mzonjani Zulu in 2016.
He also allegedly organised other disgruntled IFP members to contest in all 13 wards as independents.
IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa dismissed Biyela’s threat to unseat the party in Mthonjaneni as a day dream. Hlengwa said the IFP had a proven track record and would retain the ward.
In Buhlebezwe the ANC is expected to face off with nine independents. Some of them are former ANC members. Some candidates said they were still party members in good standing but had decided to contest as independents. They were not happy with how candidates were chosen.
Nicholas Mdunge, who is currently an independent councillor after winning Ward 9 in 2016 said he was happy that people who were contesting as independents had increased.
Mdunge said this depicted a maturing democracy and added that they were also working with various political parties to increase their PR seats because independent candidates do not have PR seats.
“Out of the 14 wards, independents are contesting nine wards. Should we win at least six of them and other parties increase their PR seats we will form a coalition and govern the municipality,” said Mdunge.
ANC regional secretary Sindisiwe Msomi said it was not true that members would be contesting as independents because they were denied the opportunity by the ANC. “Most of them were desperate to be councillors. They were not happy they did not win the popular vote in the branch and community meetings,” Msomi said.
Daily News