DEAR Editor,-
Congratulations to Zuret Opperman of the DA who won the by-election in ward 12 last week.
Many Umtentweni residents turned up at the Tweni Town Hall to vote, but were turned away. They followed the advice on the billboards and registered for voting on the weekend of February 8 an 9, but this was for the national elections in May, and not for the by-election in ward 12. The registration for the by-election had already expired, but they were unaware of it.
Conversely, many people voted, but were ineligible to vote since they were actually living in Ward 16. The border between ward 12 and ward 16 snakes through Tweni and many people simply don’t know what ward they are in. Because they live in Umtentweni, they automatically assume they should register at the Tweni Town Hall, but those living in the ward 16 area of Tweni need to register at Sea Park.
This needs to be addressed by the Independent Electoral Commission before the next elections.
MIKE DAVIES
Umtentweni Ratepayers’ Forum
