The moment of reckoning for Thabazimbi residents has arrived!
Dozens of voters are expected to trickle en masse to voting stations on December 4. They will be filled with the hope of installing a council that will deliver on its pre-election promises.
All 12 wards and 11 proportional representation seats are contesting by a total of 400 candidates from 21 parties and five independent candidates. This in the most significant by-elections since the May 29 national and provincial polls.
The elections are expected to be a fiercely contested race between the ANC, Democratic Alliance, EFF and FF+. Thabazimbi Residents Association is also expected to give other political parties a run for their money. The group has already entrenched itself in various wards.
Newcomers into the fray
There are also newcomers who just came into the fray, including the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA). Also the Labour Party, United Residents Party and Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP). These are making significant inroads in recent months.
The ANC said it is going into these elections hoping to restore political stability and sound governance. It had 11 seats during the previous council before its dissolution,
Over the past few weeks, the small mining town has been abuzz with political activities. Parties deployed their most senior leaders to the area on their campaign trail.
The ANC’s charm offensive saw state and party President Cyril Ramaphosa visiting Thabazimbi. There, he addressed a large crowd at the Siyanqoba rally at Regorogile township.
ANC’s charm offensive
Ramaphosa has expressed confidence in the ANC, saying they will capture all 12 wards.
“It is the ANC that has the capacity to fix Thabazimbi as it is broken and rotten. With the ANC’s governance, Thabazimbi could become one of Mzansi’s leading municipalities. I’ve got a good and positive sense that the ANC is standing strong. And it should be able to win all 12 wards,” said Ramaphosa.
EFF leader Julius Malema and MKP’s top brass also spent the past week working the streets of Thabazimbi. This in a bid to woo potential voters as the parties intensified their strongholds in black communities.
MKP deputy president John Hlophe and secretary general Floyd Shivambu have both campaigned in Thabazimbi. They went all out to woo the voters in the build-up to the by-elections.
MKP hopes to bring the KNZ winning touch
MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said they had campaigned intensely in the municipality. And they are hoping to do well in all the wards. It will be the first major test of the MKP’s ability to pull voters at by-elections beyond the borders of KwaZulu-Natal.
“We have registered in every ward in the municipality and we are ready to contest,” he said.
BPSA said Thabazimbi was neglected for far too long while political ructions were simmering in the council.
BPSA says it’s a new dawn
Party leader Seun Mogotji said Thabazimbi residents were caught between a crossfire between warring factions. The municipality was torn apart between parallel structures.
“People were denied basic services by the parties they have voted for. It is the Bolsheviks who will rescue them from these doldrums of inhumanity and political instability,” he said.
These by-elections are being held after the municipality was dissolved by the Provincial Executive Committee. This was done with the concurrence of the National Council Of Provinces and Cogta Minister Velenkosi Hlabisa.
The municipality was marred by internal ructions in the council and parallel structures. This resulted in collapse of governance.
The Independent Electoral Commission in the province said vote counting will start immediately after voting. The results could be announced on the morning of December 5, it said.
