Political parties are gearing up ahead of the much-anticipated by-elections in the Thabazimbi local municipality in Limpopo.
The by-elections are scheduled to take place on December 4 in 12 wards, with a total of 57 voting districts.
These by-elections are being held against the backdrop of the municipality’s dissolution by the Provincial Executive Committee with the concurrence of the National Council of Provinces and the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosi Hlabisa.
Internal ructions resulted in collapse of governance
The municipality was marred by internal ructions in the council and parallel structures. These resulted in the collapse of governance. Since the announcement of the election date, 14 political parties and four independent candidates have been on the campaign trail to woo potential voters.
The elections are expected to be fiercely contested between the ANC, DA, EFF, and Freedom Front Plus.
The Thabazimbi Residents Association is also expected to give other political parties a run for their money. This as it has already entrenched itself in various wards.
There are also newcomers who just came into the fray. These include the Bolsheviks Party, Labour Party, United Residents Party, and Umkhonto we Sizwe Party. They all made significant inroads in recent months.
The ANC had 11 seats during the previous council before its dissolution. It said it is going into these elections hoping to restore political stability and sound governance.
The party’s provincial treasurer, Nakedi Kekana, said they intend to win the elections with an overwhelming majority. Where they will not need a coalition council.
“The ANC is in Thabazimbi in large numbers on this campaign to make sure that all the needs of the residents are adhered to. We don’t want to see what happened previously. When the collapse of political stability and poor administration resulted in residents being left without services,” said Kekana.
All parties expressed confidence
The DA, which had four seats, said they were confident of increasing their numbers in the upcoming council.
The party’s head of elections in Thabazimbi, Desiree van der Walt, was confident. She said they are going to the elections solely to ensure that they get majority votes and govern the municipality.
“We are now working hard to rescue Thabazimbi. That is our focus area. We believe that we are going to increase our seats in the chambers as soon as these elections are over. There are several parties and independent candidates contesting these elections. But they are going to get leftovers, so to speak. You cannot go to such fiercely contested elections without the requisite experience,” she said.
EFF unfazed by new comers
The EFF, which had two seats, was part of the parallel structures of the ANC and DA. It says it is hoping to garner more seats to ensure that they are part of the key decision-makers. Provincial party leader Lawrence Mapoulo said they are expecting good results after the elections.
“These newcomers are not going to make any significant impact. We have the experience to govern, and that will work in our favour,” Mapoulo said.
