The New National Party (NNP) has stood back for its cooperation partner, the African National Congress (ANC), in a key by-election in a Pretoria municipal ward — to be held on January 22.
Nominations for six wards to be contested including, Ward 40 in Tshwane (in Pretoria), closed on Friday. The seat was vacated by Peter Peach of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Independent Electoral Commission (ICC) representative Lydia Young reports that the ward is being contested by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the ANC, the Christen Protestante Party van Suider Afrika (CPPSA), the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) and the DA.
The Tshwane ward is the only seat of the by-elections regarded as marginal, although the DA believes it will retain the seat.
NNP leader on the council Dr Ernie Jacobson said that his party had declined to stand in the ward “in favour of the ANC”. He said the ward was 50/50 black and white. He noted too that a large number of voters — in the region of about 1 000 voters — had recently been registered in the black area of the ward.
DA Pretoria councillor Karen Meyer predicted that the DA would easily win the seat and added she was convinced the NNP was not standing “as they feel they are the partners of the ANC”.
In the 2000 municipal poll the seat was won by the DA, with 56,6% of the vote (4 977 votes) to the ANC’s 37% (this took place while the NNP was still part of the DA).
In nearby Johannesburg’s ward 60, four parties are in the race, namely the ANC, the Christian Democratic Party, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Workers’ Party. Last time the ANC gained 72,9% to the DA’s 15,2%.
Meanwhile, in Nketoane (previously Reitz) in the Free State, the ANC is fighting the campaign against the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) in ward eight. The incumbent Lilian Keswa from the ANC, who died, obtained 77,3% of the vote 959 votes in 2000 and the PAC gained just 17,1%
At Maluti-a-Phofung (Qwa Qwa) in the Free State, the IFP is taking on the ANC in ward six. In the last election the ANC achieved 85,5% of the vote.
Owing to the death of the IFP councillor in Ward three at Umlalazi (Eshowe), the IFP have nominated a new candidate in the ward against the ANC. The IFP won 85,5% of the vote in 2000 while the ANC gained just 12,1%, indicating that the IFP is likely to retain the seat easily this time.
In Rustenburg (North West) ward 16, where the ANC’s councillor died, a new candidate will take on the DA and the IFP. In 2000 the ANC obtained nearly 80% of the vote against the United Christian Democratic Party’s 13,8%. – I-Net Bridge