Residents of Stutterheim vote for good governance
The declaration of a state of national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of March and the national lockdown that followed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic stopped everything that fell outside what was categorised as essential services. One casualty of this was the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC’s) regular schedule of countrywide by-elections, writes Mava Lukani.
However, when the country eventually moved to lockdown level one, byelections did take place on 11 November in 96 wards across 461 voting districts nationwide with strict new Covid-19 protocols in place, aimed at ensuring the safety of all involved.
These protocols included social distancing, both in and outside voting stations, along with the use of hand sanitisers as voters entered and exited the voting station. Voters were also required to wear a mask at all times, with the sign “no mask, no entry” prominently displayed. The IEC sanitised the pens used to vote after each use, but voters were urged to bring their own pens to mark their ballot papers.
The residents of Amahlathi Local Municipality’s wards 1,13 and 19 voted to fill the vacancies of councillors in those wards, by choosing councillors who will place the interests of their wards above those of their political parties and work to restore the principles of good governance in the Amahlathi Local Municipality.
This municipality is one of the Eastern Cape’s 14 distressed local municipalities. According to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Xolile Nqatha, the Eastern Cape government is pleading for a national bailout for Amahlathi and 13 other municipalities. The municipality, which incorporates Cathcart, Kei Road, Keiskammahoek and Stutterheim, is currently unviable and unable to pay its staff and councillors.
In wards 1 and 13, residents were looking for councillors and administrators with the interests of the people