Chiara Carter
A by-election in Lotus River on the Cape Flats this week showed the New National Party still has clout with coloured voters.
Although the Democratic Party has begun making inroads in heartlands of working-class coloured voters, it stands little chance of supplanting the NNP overnight.
NNP candidate Nur-ud-din Bell won the ward with 1 377 votes as opposed to 482 votes cast for Democratic Party candidate Judy Ferdenando.
Ferdenando said the DP had not expected to win the area. “It’s tough here. Places like the flats are full of NNP supporters. But I was amazed while campaigning how ready people were to listen to the DP’s message.”
The African National Congress did not contest the seat but the Lotus River and Grassy Park Residents Association (Logra) polled 672 votes.
It was the first time the DP stood in the ward where the National Party previously won an overwhelming victory with 2 285 votes as opposed to 707 won by the ANC and 977 cast in favour of two independent candidates. But in the last municipal elections for the area, the DP previously won 112 votes as opposed to 884 cast for the ANC and 2 679 cast for the NP.
While the NNP said the result showed its support base of coloured voters is intact despite claims that the DP has been gaining at the NNP’s expense, DP party workers also claimed progress. They said that despite their candidate’s defeat, the voting showed an upward trend for the party, which had gained some 17% support.
The by-election not only placed in question predictions that the NNP was finished among opposition voters, but also claims that voters, particularly coloured working class, were apathetic.
About 30% of the potential voters braved a roaring south-easter on Wednesday and came to the polls – a good turnout for a by-election. The contest for the ward was something of a litmus test for the parties’ prospects in the coming election. Most voters in the Western Cape live in areas like Lotus River although whether all these voters will register before the elections is still doubtful.
A polling station at the civic centre was situated in an area which could well be representative of the Cape Flats – surrounded by blocks of flats known as “courts” which house the poorer section of the coloured community. Here residents either claimed they were not interested in the elections or said they supported the NNP. Oddly, they still viewed the NNP as “FW de Klerk’s party”.
“We don’t know this [Marthinus] van Schalkwyk or [Gerald] Morkel. Just [Peter] Marais and De Klerk,” said Rodney Wassenar.
His friend, Tertia Abrahams, agreed. “We are worried about the gangs and that our people don’t have enough work,” said Abrahams, pointing to the extent that the local election was dominated by national party political issues.
However, some potential voters did list local issues. “The roads here are a disgrace. It is as though we are living on a farm,” said a homeowner.
Further down the road, at the self-ownership housing estates, aspirant middle-class potential voters were split between Logra, which they associated with the ANC, and the DP.
A woman bringing her children home from school said that for her the big issues were crime and transport. “I’m lucky I have a car. Other people have to walk from where the taxi drops them and around here it is not always safe.”
Another factor was religion, with many of the Muslims expressing support for the NNP’s candidate on religious grounds.
These issues are likely to be capitalised upon as politicians prepare for elections.
Already what would otherwise have been a low- key ward challenge commanded party resources with posters trumpeting the message of the DP and the NNP throughout the area.
The parties’ booths outside the polling stations were crowded by a motley collection of local youngsters who sported party badges and stickers, with the NNP winning the media war with its flags and caps which were to be spotted throughout Lotus River by late afternoon.