WATCH: IEC in King Cetshwayo election-ready despite infrastructure concerns

King Cetshwayo District has registered 2 302 candidates contesting ward and proportional representation (PR) seats in the upcoming Local Government Elections

3 hours ago

Mbuso Kunene 1 minute read

Stella Dlamini (IEC regional manager for King Cetshwayo District) Photo: KCDM/FB

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in King Cetshwayo District says it is ready for the 4 November Local Government Elections, with days remaining before voters head to the polls.

This was revealed by IEC regional manager for King Cetshwayo, Stella Dlamini, on the sidelines of the district municipality’s election prayer service held at eSikhaleni CFCI Church on Wednesday.

Addressing attendees, Dlamini said the district had registered 2 302 candidates contesting ward and proportional representation (PR) seats, with 258 council seats available.

“We have 27 contesting political parties and seven independent candidates. The affected municipalities are uMhlathuze with three independent candidates; uMlalazi, with two; and Mthonjaneni and Nkandla, with one each, while uMfolozi has none,” said Dlamini.

She added that the district had recorded 533 739 registered voters, with the City of uMhlathuze accounting for 218 132, followed by uMlalazi with 118 132, uMfolozi with 81 090, Nkandla with 66 462 and Mthonjaneni with 49 923.

However, infrastructure challenges remain a concern, with 39 of the district’s 556 voting stations without water and another 29 without electricity.

The lack of basic services could pose challenges for election officials, particularly given the prevailing weather conditions and the fact that voting is scheduled to continue until 9pm on Election Day.