Lungani Zungu
The strength of the ANC will be tested once again during the by-elections in five municipal wards on Wednesday in three provinces.
The by-elections will be held in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.
The ANC deployed its provincial heavyweight to campaign ahead of the crucial by-elections.
The party’s three provincial executive members (PEC), Bheki Ntuli, Mzi Zuma and Nomalungelo Gina went house to house campaigning for votes.
The ANC will field Vusumuzi Sakhiseni Mthabela in ward 12 under Mthonjaneni Municipality who will go head to head with the EFF’s Mxolisi Ntuli.
The IFP’s Wellington Bonginkosi Nsele was confident of victory as the ward had been in the hands of the IFP until it became vacant following the death of a councillor in January.
The IFP won the ward with 58.05% during the 2021 local government elections.
The party begged 12 seats and the ANC 10, while the EFF and the NFP got a seat apiece.
The by-elections in Mpumalanga will pit the ANC against its former councillors who were expelled from the party for colluding with the EFF.
Former ANC councillor Jacob Mancoba Mtetwa, who is now an independent candidate, is contesting the by-elections in ward 3 under Nkomazi Municipality.
He will go head to head with Wanda Ngomane of the ANC and the EFF’s Zanele Ngomane.
The ANC won the ward with 73.52% in 2021.
The ward became vacant after the ANC terminated the membership of its councillor.
In ward 10, another ex-ANC councillor Vincent Tsepo Nyambi will take the fight to the door of his former party as an independent candidate.
The ANC nominated Irvin Kevin Sibiya to contest, while the EFF is sending Sunnyboy Charles Mkabela to represent the red berets.
The ANC candidate won the ward with 72.63% during the 2021 local polls.
Ward 13 in the Bushbuckridge Municipality would also be a battle zone.
The ward was previously represented by the ANC and became vacant as a result of the death of a councillor.
The ANC candidate won the ward with 39.19%.
Another by-election will take place in ward 21 in the Sol Plaatje Municipality in Northern Cape.
The ward will be contested by Lucas Ruiters, an independent candidate against ANC’s Ranolang Edwin Tokgwi.
The DA’s Jamie-Lee Andrea Simoné Greeff, EFF’s Selebogo Devillier More, and Johan Dawid Griesel of the Vryheidsfront Plus (VP) are all running for the position.
The DA won the ward with 51.14% of valid votes.
