- African National Congress councillor Tankiso Motloung won Nquthu’s ward 20 with 49.76% of valid votes, in Ntuthuko Mahlaba’s home village.
- Motloung credits Mahlaba’s memory. The Inkatha Freedom Party was second with 24.98% of votes, the MK Party third with 12.49%.
African National Congress councillor Tankiso Motloung won ward 20 in Nkande village, Nquthu, in the 4 November local elections. He got 2,446 votes, which is 49.76% of valid votes. It is the home village of the late Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, a former KwaZulu-Natal MEC.
The Inkatha Freedom Party was second with 1,228 votes (24.98%). The MK Party was third with 614 votes (12.49%).
Motloung told Scrolla.Africa that Mahlaba’s memory helped, and that the ward was hard to win.
“Comrade Mahlaba’s spirit helped us a lot because our opponents were very strong. But we managed to secure our ward 20 as many people in our village voted for us in numbers. Also my contribution to the community plays a pivotal role to win these elections.
“These elections were very difficult for us at ward 20 because our very own comrades were against us as they were campaigning for the MKP and the SACP. We were facing the historical test of time and we had no hope that we might win the ward but we did it and honoured comrade Mahlaba in a very dignified manner and we thank him for this,” Motloung said.
Mahlaba died on 4 July after being hit by a car while jogging in Newcastle. He was buried in Nkande. Police opened a culpable homicide case.
Motloung said he will keep running the sports programme he holds for local youth every Easter holiday.
The party lost ground across Nquthu. The Inkatha Freedom Party won 17 of the council’s 39 seats, and no party has a majority. News24 reported that the Inkatha Freedom Party took four wards from the ANC there.
Motloung was sworn in with the other new Nquthu councillors on 19 November.
