The ANC lost ward 33 of Enoch Mgijima local municipality during the by-elections on Wednesday despite fierce campaigning by Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane.
The by-elections, which attracted a huge 71% turnout of 2 705 voters, saw former ANC member Ntombekhaya Kortman, who contested as an independent candidate, receiving 1 518 votes against ANC candidate Nomathamsanqa Mtati who got 1 116 votes.
The EFF candidate received 22 votes while the spoilt ballots were 49.
The ward candidate vacancy was declared after Kortman and the community of Tarkastad, where ward 33 is based, successfully challenged the outcome of the November 2021 local government elections at the Electoral Court citing irregularities.
This after Kortman lost by only four votes when she received 815 votes against Mtati’s 819 votes. The Electoral Court ruled that ward 33 elections were not free and fair due to irregular incidents such as voter intimidation at one of the voting stations.
Mtati was accused of irregular conduct after she was seen allegedly campaigning for votes in the voting station and ignored reprimands by the presiding officer.
Her husband Xola Mtati, who was the ANC branch secretary, was also allegedly seen in and out of the voting station and remained there after voting was completed. When confronted by the police, it is alleged that he lied and said he was part of the counting process.
Kortman registered to contest the November elections as an independent after she felt hard done by the ANC processes when the party chose Mtati as its ward candidate against the majority views of ward 33 community that were in favour of her.
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