Special voting under way in highly contested by-election

SPECIAL voting is under way in the highly contested by-election in Roodepan and Platfontein, at Harvestime Baptist Church and Lucretia Primary School in Roodepan and at Platfontein Church.

The seat became vacant following the death of the ANC councillor.

The ward 1 by-election may tip the scales at Sol Plaatje Municipality, where if the ANC loses the ward the opposition will be in the majority with 33 seats, leaving the ANC with 32 councillors.

There are currently 33 ANC and 32 opposition councillors.

The ward is being contested by an independent candidate, Vaughan Settley, Gordon David Adams from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Ferguson Morris Moses of the ANC, Calvin Renato Johnson of the DA, Bonita Tasha Katz of the EFF, Johan Loff of the PA and Adriana Justine Esau from the Sol Plaatje Service Delivery Forum (SPSDF).

The ANC brought out its big guns in Roodepan on Saturday, where ANC national executive members Nomvula Mokonyane and Tina Joemat-Pettersson visited Kimberley to celebrate its 111th anniversary.

Mokonyane stated that the ANC belonged in ward 1, while ANC provincial chairperson Dr Zamani Saul stated that the ANC was “not here to play”.

Independent candidate Vaughan Settley was confident of winning the ward.

“I am against corruption and I won the ward on consecutive occasions when I was an ANC member, so people have faith in me. I will be directly accountable to the community,” he said.

DA provincial leader Harold McGluwa said the party intended forming a coalition government if they won the ward.

“The by-election presents the DA with an unparalleled opportunity to remove the ANC from power in Sol Plaatje for the first time since the dawn of democracy.

“Decreasing support for the ANC saw the party come in with only 50.4 percent of the vote in the 2021 local government election. Without ward 1 under their belts, the ANC currently holds 32 seats in Sol Plaatje. The opposition also collectively holds 32 seats. This means that a win for the DA could kick-start negotiations with other parties to unseat the ANC in the Northern Cape’s capital municipality,” said McGluwa.

McGluwa added that their ward candidate, Calvin Johnson, was born and raised in Roodepan.

“He is raising his own family here. He is a hard-working and committed member of the community. We are confident that he will prove to be a dependable councillor on whom ward 1 residents can count to raise their grievances and to help get things done.”

Johnson stated that he would rebuild the ward, fill the potholes and fix sewage and water leaks if he was elected.

“Ultimately, we can start the process of bringing the sparkle back to Kimberley,” he added.

EFF provincial spokesperson Obakeng Lechuti said their candidate, Bonita Katz, would create jobs and improve service delivery.

“She will be at the disposal of the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She will ensure that pensioners and qualifying beneficiaries are given free subsidised electricity and mandate the clinic to operate on a 24-hour basis. Children must be given access to decent uniforms and free tertiary education. A skills and development centre and sports facilities must be established for the youth. Qualified members of the community must be appointed into positions, not based on political deployment.”

Lechuti added that a public library equipped with wi-fi should be opened in Roodepan and Platfontein.

“Yearly cultural activities should be held so that the community can showcase their talents.”

Lechuti said the party was calling for a crime-busting team to be established in the ward to fight drug dealers.

“The sewage problems must be addressed at the Roodepan flats and the swimming pool must be maintained.”

ACDP provincial spokesperson Pastor Jonathuin Sukus stated that their candidate, Gordon Adams, was focused on the transformation of the city and community projects.

“He is intent on improving service delivery in ward 1 and fixing the potholes. We are also building visibility ahead of the 2024 national government elections,” said Sukus.

The leader of the Sol Plaatje Service Delivery Forum, Dennis Pienaar, said they would raise an objection regarding around 400 voters whose names appeared on the voters roll although they did not reside in the ward.

“We do not believe that these names have been verified and will lodge a dispute. We have affidavits to prove that these people do not belong in the ward.”

He added that their ward candidate, Adriana Justine Esau, would champion service delivery including cheaper electricity, street lights, roads, housing, water and equal employment opportunities.

“She will obtain her mandate from the community and fight against nepotism and corruption at the municipality. Drug addicts must be rehabilitated and she will fight crime by joining hands with the police and community policing forums. We have been well-received in the ward.”

Patriotic Alliance provincial chairperson Sharifa Obaray Ferris added that their candidate, Johan Loff, had started a neighbourhood crime-prevention watch and was the chairperson of a drug rehabilitation project in the ward.

“We don’t make promises, we take action. Loff grew up in Roodepan and has received good support from among the community. We are running a community food project, ‘No one sleeps hungry’ drive in Platfontein and have assisted residents in obtaining their identity documents and registering their names for pensions and social grants. Many have zero income, phones or data and we have helped them register for the R350 grant.”

The by-election will take place on Wednesday, February 22.

Meanwhile, ANC provincial spokesperson Thabo Mothibi has been suspended following a physical altercation that occurred on February 17 with another ANC member.

The incident took place on the eve of the ANC’s 111th anniversary celebrations that were held at Lucretia Primary in Roodepan on February 18.

ANC provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga confirmed that Mothibi had been suspended due to the scuffle.

“I don’t have much details about what happened. I have instructed that the matter should be investigated.”