The DA has named four more mayoral candidates in the Eastern Cape, taking the party’s provincial tally to 10 ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
Excited by the ruling ANC's failure to file candidates in certain municipalities in the province, the party has made a quick move to announce mayoral candidates in a bid to bolster their electoral fortunes.
DA Eastern Cape leader Andrew Whitfield announced Karen Smith as the party’s candidate for Sundays River Valley municipality, Matthee Nel for Walter Sisulu municipality, Mbongeni Kotana for Port St Johns municipality and Star Mvuyane for Ingquza Hill municipality.
These are all the municipalities in which the ANC failed to submit all its candidates.
The electoral court dismissed the ANC’s challenge over its candidate submissions, leaving the party without PR and ward candidates in Ingquza Hill, Port St Johns, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley.
The ANC had argued that technical problems with the Electoral Commission’s online nomination system had prevented it from completing its submissions before the August 28 deadline. The IEC disputed this explanation.
Whitfield said the development presented the DA with an opportunity to expand its support in the affected municipalities.
“In Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill, historically ANC strongholds, the ANC will not be fielding candidates after it failed to submit candidate lists before the IEC’s 28 August deadline,” Whitfield said.
“This has created an opportunity for the long-suffering residents of these municipalities to vote for a DA government that will get their municipalities working for all.”
Whitfield said the party believed it had established a foothold in Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley, where the ANC would not contest the proportional representation component.
“The DA has a strong foothold in Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley, where the ANC is unable to field PR councillor candidates,” he said.
“This means that the election of a DA government and mayor is a very real possibility.”
The party’s manifesto focuses on tackling corruption, improving service delivery, fighting crime and strengthening local economies to create jobs, Whitfield said.
He said the DA’s candidates would campaign on those commitments in the four municipalities.
“For these solutions to become a reality, the people of Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill have the power to unite behind the DA and elect a stable government,” Whitfield said.
Nel said he had been a councillor for 11 years at the Walter Sisulu municipality and that the municipality was in a crisis.
“We are in for reliable basic services delivery, as that is one of the foundations of a functioning municipality," he said.
Kotana said the Port St Johns municipality needed to end its way of corruption.
“The financial management of the municipality needs to be transparent. I pledge to restore financial discipline.”
Smith said residents were tired of empty promises, and they deserved the service delivery that was owed to them.
The four candidates join the DA’s previously announced mayoral candidates of Retief Odendaal in Nelson Mandela Bay, Hattingh Bornman in Kouga, Bettie Lawens in Inxuba Yethemba, Eldrige Ruiters in Dr Beyers Naude, Lorraine Smith-Johnson in Blue Crane Route and Luvuyo Sizani in Makana.
The DA’s announcement comes as parties intensify their campaigns ahead of the November 4 elections, with the IEC confirming that 136,790 candidates had been certified to contest seats across the country.
Daily Dispatch