The dribble of voters casting their ballots for the Western Cape’s only by-election being contested in Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, was expected to increase when people returned home from work on Wednesday.
The by-election is seen as a two-horse race between Democratic Alliance candidate Sheval Arendse and the Independent Democrats’ June Frans.
”We want drug abuse, child molestation and rape to be addressed. They must give more attention to Tafelsig,” Cathlene Majiet (47) said outside the Tafelsig Primary School.
Majiet, a mother of three, proclaimed she was ”DA all the way”.
Presiding officer, Sandra Adolph, said the trickle of voters was to be expected in a by-election, and a constant flow could possibly be seen at the polling station from 7pm onwards.
The ward’s six voting stations operate from 7am to 9pm, with provisional results expected to be announced around midnight once the Independent Electoral Commission had finished counting.
Besides the ID and DA candidates, there were five fringe candidates from a number of smaller and unknown parties, such as the Pension Poverty Relief and Unemployment Front.
The African National Congress was not fielding a candidate, deciding instead to throw its lot in with the ID.
”Every time they make promises, but they give nothing. The main thing is to tackle crime and unemployment,” said a woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, outside Tafelsig library.
Berenice May, a 40-year-old mother of three, said: ”They promise so much, I don’t know what will happen … They must look at drug abuse, rapes and all that.”
Outside the polling station, May said she still hadn’t decided who she would vote for: ”Ek was nou die ander dag hier gewees, om te stem. Nou moet ek weer stem [I voted at this station the other day, now I must vote again].”
Wednesday’s by-election springs from Sheval Arendse’s resignation from the ID as a ward councillor shortly after the March local government election had run its course.
Party agents were seen buzzing outside voting stations, trying to sway those on the streets in the predominantly coloured working class area.
Cars with idiosyncratic political party jingles blaring, and adorned with posters of the respective candidates, were criss-crossing the ward.
Posters attached to electric light poles didn’t mince their words, silently clamouring for the votes of those stopping to read.
”Geen [no] evictions, geen water cuts,” said the DA’s poster, attempting to allay fears of the city’s intentions.
”Stop die DA, teen afsluitings, uitsettings en prokureurs briewe. Stem ID,” [Stop the DA, against service cuts, evictions and lawyers’ letters] was the direct riposte often seen as the posters competed for attention.
Wednesday’s result has a direct bearing on Cape Town mayor Helen Zille’s under-fire coalition government. A DA victory and the extra seat it carried would provide a welcome boost should the ID, or any of the other parties, not win. – Sapa