As the DA pulls out all the stops to win Ward 110 in eThekwini, other parties are also working hard to wrestle the ward away from the party in a hotly contested by-election today.
The DA has deployed its heavyweights in the province in the run-up to the by-election there, including the provincial leader, Francois Rodgers, Minister and provincial chairperson, Dean Macpherson, and the leader of the party, John Steenhuisen.
The ANC stated that it once governed the ward and has put up a strong campaign in the by-elections, hoping that their efforts will translate into votes.
The EFF leaders, on the other hand, said they are contesting the ward to maintain their presence in the eyes of the public as they work to rebuild the organisation.
Ward 110, which includes the areas of Sunningdale, Glen Anil, and Glen Hills, is set to be hotly contested by six political party candidates and an independent candidate. The IEC announced that the ward became vacant due to the termination of a councillor’s membership from the party. It is understood that the former DA councillor in the area, Aamir Abdul, was removed in January by his political party.
The candidates for the by-election are:
- • Sifiso Energy Ngema of the ANC
- • Rowena Bosman of the DA
- • Litile Pungwana of the NFP
- • Sibusiso Brains Mthethwa of the EFF
- • Mandla Goodoman Biyela of the MK
- • Pragasan Padayachee of the 1860NIC Congress (1860NICC)
- • Independent candidate Bronwynne Georgia Delaney
The DA, which has embarked on an extensive campaign to retain the ward, said that over 18 000 voters across five voting districts have the chance to decide the future of their ward.
Speaking about their chances of retaining the ward, DA’s provincial communications coordinator, Nqobile Nhleko said the party is determined to keep the ward out of the MK Party's hands.
“DA momentum into this by-election is a force to be reckoned with, and every DA vote will count to keep this ward in safe hands, and to keep the MK party out,” Nhleko said.
Macpherson said: “The reality is that the MK is 680 votes behind us from the 2024 elections and any votes for the independent or other parties will guarantee MK their first seat in eThekwini.”
ANC spokesperson in the eThekwini Region, Mlondi Mkhize, expressed hope of regaining control of the ward, saying, “We used to govern the ward, but we possibly dropped the ball in one way or another, which led to the community moving away from us. Another issue was the demarcation process, which also contributed to us losing the ward.
“But we are very hopeful that we are going to do well because we have had a good campaign there, and on Wednesday, we will know whether the campaign has translated into votes. Our candidate is also someone who is popular in the community,” he said.
EFF leader Mongezi Twala said for them, this is about presence.
“We are in a rebuilding phase. The mistake we can make is to not con-test by-elections, which will create a perception in the eyes of the public that the EFF is no longer contesting elections. We want to remain in the eyes of the public as the serious work of rebuilding the organisation continues,” he said.
The MK Party has shown resurgence in the past few by-elections after a silent period following the national general elections.
It recently secured by-election success, winning Ward 28 in KwaDukuza Municipality, a ward that had previously been held by the ANC. Attempts to reach the party yesterday were unsuccessful.