Battle for Northern poll heats up
Tension rising as parties vie for support in key Gqeberha area
A racially-charged poster, missing Facebook pages, boundary changes, attempts to join forces and a scolding online — campaigning in Gqeberha’s northern areas is heating up as several parties battle it out for crucial votes ahead of the municipal elections.
At least nine parties are trying to woo northern areas voters — and tempers are already flaring as accusations and insults among the smaller parties circulate online.
Two of the battleground wards in the northern areas have closely-split support for the DA and ANC, but the increase in smaller parties has the potential for an upset.
In the 2016 municipal polls, the DA won 46.7% of the vote in the Bay while the ANC got 41%.
A big swing in support in the northern areas could propel either party to an outright majority in council.
Other parties contesting the key area include GOOD, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Northern Alliance (NA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Compatriots of SA (CSA), EFF, Defenders of the People (DOP) and Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM).
The local government elections take place on November 1.
Political analyst Joleen Steyn-Kotze said the dynamics of the northern areas had always been complicated but told an interesting story of how power shifted between the ANC and DA.
On the new parties entering the fray, she said this had happened in the past.
“However, there’s been a lot politicking this time and it is going to open [up the door] to all new political formations.”
‘Let’s get ready to rumble’
The smaller parties met for lunch — with three tables filled — at Mike’s Kitchen in Humewood two months ago.
Here, PA president Gayton McKenzie tried to court members into joining his party.
The lunch led to NA councillor-candidate Stag Mitchell recording a Facebook video last week, where he called out PA national chair Marlon Daniels and McKenzie for their “political arrogance and disrespect”.
He said McKenzie offered Bay GOOD leader Siyanda Mayana a mayoral candidate position.
The offer was confirmed by Mayana.
“He asked to see me aside and said the PA was doing well in the country and that as president he didn’t need to consult anyone, and it was his call to make me the mayoral candidate,” Mayana said.
Mitchell, in his video, said McKenzie had belittled Mayana by saying the PA was on a path of destroying GOOD.
“Stay with me Marlon
Daniels, let’s get ready to rumble,” Mitchell repeated throughout the video.
“How dare you, Marlon and Gayton, claim that the PA is the fastest-growing party in SA and the third-biggest with 100,000 members.
“The PA, in essence, promotes prison dialect ... how dare you promote [this].
“My name is Stag and I’ll meet you on the street, church and public platforms, factory floors and sports fields.
“I dare you to engage me and the NA any time and anywhere.”
McKenzie, who paid the bill, said he had only offered Mayana a deputy mayor position.
“We offered him the deputy mayor as it would help our plan to have a black and coloured person at the top of the party.
“We want to break the perception that we are only for coloured people,” he said.
“I’m shocked that Stag could remember what was said because he was the only one drinking that day, ordering glasses of whisky while everyone else had cooldrinks.”
McKenzie said he hoped the NA and other parties did well in the elections.
“The better they do, the more votes they take from the DA. They must not try to start a fight with us, but with the DA and the ANC. I wish them all well.”
Daniels said Mitchell was an “old, frail man” seeking relevance by using his name as a campaign tool.
He said Mitchell appeared drunk during lunch.
“I was embarrassed when the food came as he grabbed his plate out of the trolley.
“It must have been his hunger pains that made him hear these things.”
Daniels accused Mitchell of using his name as a platform to get a seat in the council.
“He is one foot in the grave
and hoping to get a salary from the taxpayers by getting into council therefore by seeking relevance using me,” he said.
Mitchell denied drinking whisky, saying he had not touched alcohol in more than 40 years.
He challenged Daniels to a public debate next Wednesday.
Ward changes could alter power balance
Boundary changes in the northern areas could see wards switch hands politically and shift the power dynamics at City Hall.
Wards are altered — if necessary — every five years to deal with the number of registered voters.
The ANC was a big beneficiary in 2016 when it snatched three wards away from the DA in the northern areas.
The altered wards in the northern areas could swing the elections as the changes will see suburbs such as Helenvale and Schauderville — which are DA wards — split up further.
Some of the more drastic changes include:
● Splitting up the Helenvale community, with a large piece of Ward 13 shifting to Ward 32;
● A large section of Bethelsdorp, previously under Ward 32, will now fall under Ward 31; and
● A section of Schauderville, which was part of Ward 11, has been annexed and will be served by a councillor from Ward 10.
‘Political sabotage’ claims surface
A racially-charged poster that has been widely circulated was spotted on social media by the EFF on Tuesday.
The poster reads: “whites, Indians, coloured and Asians are not South African, EFF has spoken”.
Bay EFF regional spokesperson Nkosiyoxolo Zane Mncam said the poster was aimed at their region as they had geared to take control of the northern areas.
However, the poster was fake, Mncam said.
“Should we find the offenders, we will ensure that they are dealt with accordingly.”
The newly formed NA, meanwhile has blamed political sabotage after their two Stop Northern Areas Killings (SNAK) Facebook pages, boasting 56,000 members, disappeared.
Choices galore ahead of polls
Bay DA campaign manager Retief Odendaal said the party strongly believed the people of the northern areas deserved a better future.
“We have proven that when we govern we allocated more resources to the northern areas than any other party.”
He said often new parties failed to muster enough votes to secure one seat in council.
Mayana said the northern areas had been previously excluded from any economic participation.
“We need to change the turnaround times in response to these challenges,” he said.
ANC regional task team coordinator Luyolo Nqakula said the party had a strong constituency in the area.
“We have already been at the centre of responding to service delivery challenges through the constituency offices of our MPs and MPLs.”
PA mayoral candidate Tiphany Harmse said the northern areas had a long list of endless issues that needed to be addressed.
“We are a party for all but some areas need a little more attention such as the northern areas.”
CSA national chair Marchelle Davies said the party’s goal was to be the voice of the northern areas.
NA president Gary van Niekerk said the state of the northern areas was a testament to the broken promises over the years.
Mncam said the EFF believed that coloured people had been neglected for too long.
AIM founder Khusta Jack said: “We are contesting to win so we can change governance in the metro.”
DOP regional secretary Simphiwe Madlavu said the people of the northern areas had been treated as a minority and needed to get their dignity back.