The municipal elections are scheduled for November 1 which promises to be a hotly-contested vying for positions on the Lekwa-council.
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, published the date in the Gazette on September 20.
South Africa’s Constitution, read with the Municipal Structures Act, regulates that at the end of a five-year term of local government, elections must be held within a period of 90 days.
The Standerton Advertiser contacted the communications officer of the IEC, Mr Victor Kekana, for a rundown on the present situation.
Mr Kekana replied promptly, giving a figure of 87 proportional representatives and 166 ward candidates who could be sitting in council.
He said however, that these are preliminary figures, pending the outcome of a compliance check.
The same applies to the number of political parties, which preliminary stands at 12 with two independent candidates.
The decision to open the list for candidates has an influence on the IEC’s administration.
According to Mr Kekana, operations are adversely affected in the sense that the IEC operates on a shortened time-table.
“Legally regulated activities must take place within a short space of time, putting pressure on human an non-human resources,” he said.
Registration weekend took place on September 18 and 19.
Altogether 15 municipal wards are up for grabs in Standerton.
Posters have been put up in streets for voters to decide which way their ballot will go.
