ANC North West secretary Supra Mahumapelo.
Voters took a long time to turn out on Wednesday due to the majority of voters being the elderly, who braved the wintry conditions. Although the two favoured parties, the DA and the ANC, had a heavy presence at the Ikageng voting station, locals were adamant their votes would be influenced by the capability of candidates to deliver basic service delivery, not political parties.
"We gave ANC councillors a chance to serve us for two decades and instead of delivering basic services, they served themselves. They played the game of politics at the expense of voters. There will be no more of this flashy and expensive lifestyle they lead once we put them into power," said Kaizer Phakathi, a resident of Ikageng.
Supra Mahumapelo, provincial secretary for the ANC in the North West, urged people to not be distracted and angered by the flashy cars that councillors drive and equate that as an inability to deliver.
"We get a very high car allowance benefit as part of being government employees. We have no choice but to buy expensive cars or else the tax man will come after us."
He added that they could request a lower allowance but that would not make a significant difference to the service delivery process as the ANC is already meeting its targets. He then invited the Mail & Guardian to a pre-planned celebration party scheduled for the afternoon to be held at an ANC mansion on the dusty streets of Ikageng.
Fired ANC councillors
​Tlokwe residents have shared their desire to be run by the DA, viewing them as more capable of bringing change to the society. This came out during the mayoral debacle that saw councillors being fired for ousting an ANC mayor, Maphetle Maphetle, and replacing him with a DA candidate, Annette Combrink.
Running councillor for the DA Jacky Tobolo said the party is hopeful it will get a chance to prove itself. The members' preparations involved a prayer vigil, to ask God to elect the right candidates. "We are all tired of watching and waiting. Our municipality needs dedicated people who will listen to the people. We are those people," he said.
There appeared to be a level of mutual respect between Mahumapelo and DA leader in the North West Chris Hattingh as the two shook hands and shared jokes outside the voting station.
This is despite the clashes between the two parties, which ended up in court as they battled over the mayoral position in Tlokwe. ANC mayor Maphetle Maphetle was voted out twice this year, but refused to make way for DA councillor Annette Combrink.
Hattingh was however still angry about the electioneering antics of the ANC, which he claims has been continuing into the morning of the elections. The national department of social development has spent the last two weeks handing out food parcels and blankets to residents in Ward 9.
The voting at both Ikageng and Mohadin will continue until 9pm and the results will be announced at midnight.