The ANC in the Gert Sibande Region has listened to the voters’ message that if they don’t pull up their socks and deliver service, the voters will draw their crosses elsewhere in the next elections.
This was apparent during a media briefing in the Mayor’s boardroom in the Gert Sibande District Municipality last Thursday.
Regional chairman Muzi Chirwa said they welcomed the election results and thanked all the voters that renewed the ANC’s mandate to serve the people of the region.
“We want to convey our gratitude to the people that voted for the ANC. We continue to control all seven municipalities within the district and we also reaffirm our manifesto commitments that a vote for the ANC is a vote for quality service, development of local economy and integration of communities,” he said.
Mr Chirwa also said the ruling party would not be conducting any research, as they were completely aware of the challenges facing the communities in the region.
“The reason why we won’t conduct any researches is that our people told us about their problems during the door-to-door campaigns before the elections. We saw our people’s plight in many area,s because there’s no corner in this region that we did not visit,” explained Mr Chirwa.
Regional convener Mr Sibusiso Sigudla said they were happy to continue leading the region and pleased with winning four wards that were previously controlled by the opposition party, referring to Ward 8 in Msukaligwa, Ward in Chief Albert Luthuli, Ward 4 in Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme and Ward 3 in Dipaleseng municipalities.
“We will not tolerate laziness and under-performance. If members don’t execute the duties and responsibilities they are deployed to, they will be removed. Period,” said Mr Sigudla.
He also explained that when dealing with the deployments, the Regional Executive Council (REC) ensured that the youth as well as gender was taken into consideration, hence some of the important positions are led by youth leaders.
The ANC deployed as follows: Executive Mayor of Gert Sibande District Municipality – Muzi Chirwa; Speaker – Joshua Nkosi; Chief Whip – Trevor Nkosi.
In Albert Luthuli Municipality: Dan Nkosi – Executive Mayor; Walter Mngomezulu – Speaker and Lindiwe Masuku – Chief Whip.
In Msukaligwa Municipality: Executive Mayor- Solomon “The Bishop” Nkosi; Speaker – Dumisile Nhlengethwa and Chief Whip – Agnes “gogo Brown” Mnisi.
During the recent elections, the ANC recorded a six per cent drop from 80 per cent in 2011 to 74 per cent and 29 seats this year.
The Democratic Alliance showed a fraction of a per cent decline, but maintained its five seats.
The new kids on the block, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), obtained three seats in the local municipality.
Speaking to the Highvelder, EFF Gert Sibande Regional Coordinator Mr Koos Nkosi said they were happy with their performance and said as government-in-waiting they would prove to the people of Msukaligwa Municipality that they could deliver on their promise.
“Considering that we are newcomers and our zero-based budget, our campaigns yielded good results. With our three seats, we won’t be adding only numbers but value to the municipality,” said Mr Nkosi.
He, however, took a swipe at the IEC and ANC relationship, calling it “worrisome”.
He wondered how the IEC could expect free and fair elections when the presiding officers were known to be staunch ANC members.
He said the ruling party must not fool itself, because a number of people still voting for it were actually voting for Mandela and not Zuma.
Both ANC and EFF leaders were worried about the youth turnout at the polls.
Mr Chirwa said it was indeed a worrying factor, but also attributed the low turnout to the weather and timing of the day as some of the factors.
Sibusiso Sigudla also hit out at farmers in the area for not allowing their employees to go and vote, a matter, he said, they would pay attention to.
In reply to a request for comment, Mr Stephan Greyling from the DA said the party was pleased with retaining their seats in the municipality through, among others, constant voter interaction and permanent visibility.
However, he added that the DA would never be happy until they have the majority seats in Council.
The DA in Msukaligwa is of the opnion that the elections were free, but not fair in all instances, matters that will be dealt with through the correct channels and in the correct forum with IEC management.
Mr Greyling said the objectives of the DA remained moving forward to being one nation with one future built on freedom, fairness and opportunity for all.
He ascribed the DA’s losing control of Ward 8 to the fact the the ward was subdivided during the demarcation process, but said it was interesting to note that the DA did better in all the voring districts that were previously included in Ward 8.
He concluded by saying that the DA would keep on serving residents who gave them the mandate to do so, and who believe that South Africa is a country for all who live in it.
