Independents vying for seats in Parliament

FOR the first time, South African voters will be given three ballot papers during the elections, not the usual two national and provincial; however, they will see an extra ballot paper for independent candidates who are contesting these elections under no party affiliation.

It is unclear if these candidates will have enough votes to get a seat in the National Assembly in these heavily contested elections as most of them are hardly known.

The candidate lists were made public by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on March 27, which revealed 10 independent candidates. Out of these 10, only one candidate is contesting the regional seats for the Western Cape, and that is the wellknown activist and film director Zackie Achmat, who is also the co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign.

The independent candidates were allowed to contest the elections after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Electoral Amendment Bill into law.

In this independent candidate race, Achmat will be joined by the likes of former Congress of the People's (Cope) Member of Parliament Anele Mda, former boxing champion Lovemore Ndou, Ntakadzeni Phathela and Lehlohonolo Blessings Ramoba, the president of the Mining Forum of SA.

Other candidates are not that popular, and it is really difficult to tell what they stand for and if they have what it takes to win a seat in their regions.

Among many of his promises, Achmat said he would fix Prasa, Eskom and Sassa, “as these entities have all suffered from corruption and have failed to deliver quality services to the people”. He added, “This has devastating consequences for jobs, lives and the economy. A state that delivers quality services is vital for dignified lives, economic growth and creating jobs.”

Mda, who is contesting under #TheUncapturedActivist, was suspended by Cope back in 2009 for racist remarks she made against the then deputy president of the party. She said she is a committed advocate for clean governance, accountability, and the eradication of nepotism, cronyism, patronage and corruption in our political landscape.