Siphofaneni by-elections in numbers
‘‘Will it be his wife Lomalungelo Ntombi Simelane? Will it be Moshoeshoe Zaba Nkambule? Or will Khetsile Stella Sikhondze upset the apple cart?
MBABANE – All eyes are on the crunch by-election at Siphofaneni Constituency on July 30, 2022. Who will replace Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane?
Will it be his wife Lomalungelo Ntombi Simelane? Will it be Moshoeshoe Zaba Nkambule? Or will Khetsile Stella Sikhondze upset the apple cart? It might be a cliché to say numbers don’t lie, but the Times SUNDAY has computed the figures that relate to this by-election for voters and readers to familiarise themselves with the demographics of this poll.
13 971 voters: The Siphofaneni Constituency has one of the highest numbers of registered voters in the country. With a total of 13 971 voters who registered for the 2018 National Election, Siphofaneni is fifth in the list of the most number of voters after Kwaluseni (16 436), Mkhiweni (15 921), Lobamba (15 136) and Lugongolweni (14 144).
POWER TO DECIDE
7 909 youth: Fingers are pointing at the young people as the ones who hold the power to decide the winner of this much-anticipated by-election. At 7 909, they constitute 56.6 per cent of the Siphofaneni Constituency’s total number of registered voters.
This is somehow in-line with the objective of the communication and marketing strategy, which was ‘to improve the participation and election of the youth’. Even the report of the national election concluded that it was also encouraging to observe that the registration of the youth between the ages 18 to 35 years dominated the voters’ list. Should the youth participate in the by-election in their numbers, the candidate who wins their hearts is the one who is most likely to win the vacant Parliament seat.
1 308 elderly: Most election candidates are known to focus most of their attention on the voters who are considered to be the elderly as they are aged 60 and above.
This group is regarded as important, because of being known to turn up at the polling stations on the day of voting. Unlike they youth, who might make up the majority of the registered voters but their turnout at the polling station on voting day was not guaranteed, the elderly leave candidates with no headache on where they would be on d-day.
A candidate who ignores the elderly does so at their own peril. They might constitute only 9.36 per cent of Siphofaneni’s total number of registered voters but their vote might decide the outcome.
4 754 adults: Adult voters (36 – 59 years) are known to be the most opinionated group but, as seen in neighbouring South Africa during the 2019 elections, their participation had been on a decline. Apathy and anger are said to play a huge influence in their decision.
With this considered, it may be apt for the election candidates of Siphofaneni to convince this group, during their campaigns, which began yesterday, of the importance of showing up on polling day.
65 per cent turnout: During the 2018 national election, the number of voters who cast their ballot under Siphofaneni Constituency was quite impressive and among the highest in the country. Of the 13 971 registered voters, 9 036 or 65 per cent actually voted.
VOTER TURN-OUT
This was a five per cent increase compared to the 2013 National Election where the voter turn-out was at 60 per cent. Of the country’s 59 constituencies, only 17 had a voter turnout bigger than Siphofaneni and these include Ndzingeni (75 per cent), Mhlangantane (74 per cent), Somntongo (73 per cent), Mayiwane (72 per cent), Nkwene (71 per cent), Matsanjeni South (71 per cent), Mahlangatsha (70 per cent), Gege (70 per cent) and Nkomiyahlaba (69 per cent) among others.
1 499 (10.7%) in primaries: The turnout of voters during the primary stage of the by-election in Siphofaneni on July 2, 2022, was nothing short of pitiable. Of the 13 972 registered voters, only 1 499 turned up on the
day, which is a mere 10.7 per cent. This is too far off from the turnout that was witnessed during the primaries of the 2018 National Election where 63.3 per cent of the registered voters under Siphofaneni cast their votes. That was 8 847 voters.
554 votes: The highest number of votes in the Siphofaneni by-election primaries was recorded by Lomalungelo Ntombi Simelane, who is better known as LaZwide and wife to former MP Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane.
Lomalungelo amassed 554 votes under KaMkhweli Chiefdom, which saw only 911 votes being cast. Her likely competitor in the secondary stage of the by-elections is Moshoeshoe Nkambule who managed 424 votes under Madlenya Chiefdom. The other candidate, Khetsile Sikhondze, managed 125 votes under Maphilingo Chiefdom.
3 votes: Petro Khoza under the KaMkhweli Chiefdom saw flames during the by-election primaries and only managed three votes under his name. This was probably one of the lowest votes to be recorded by an election candidate.
7 381 women: Most often than not, women, when it comes to elections in Eswatini, are seen as their own worst enemies. Even though they always form a majority of voters, they do not vote another woman into a position of power, particularly into Parliament.
WOMEN REGISTERED
There are 7 381 women registered to vote under Siphofaneni Constituency and this translates to 52.8 per cent of the total number of registered voters, which means the women hold the power and can decide who their next MP will be.
4 480 winning votes: Exiled former Siphofaneni Member of Parliament Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane earned his ticket to the august House in 2018 after amassing 4 480 votes.
This was around 32 per cent of the votes. He beat one of the longest serving MPs the country has ever had, Gundwane Gamedze, who managed 3 332 votes under his belt. Sive Mthunzi Shongwe was placed third at only 102 votes. Will any of the candidates in the by-elections come close to ‘Gawuzela’s 4 480 votes?