Pretoria - A member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Elections, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi, has appealed for calm ahead of by-elections in two wards, in Limpopo.
“We just want to remind our people that political intolerance, destruction of billboards and posters is an electoral offence. We want to urge members to refrain from violence and call on law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.
“However, we are looking forward to a peaceful, free and fair by-elections and as the IMC on elections, we are ready for the by-elections tomorrow morning. We are appealing to our people to go out in their numbers to vote for their preferred candidate.
“Remember, local government is everybody’s business. Let us work together to build our communities,” the Minister said on Tuesday.
Two by-elections will take place on Wednesday in ward 3 of the New Municipality currently known as LIM345. The ward will be contested by Ntsako Lauward Ngobeni of the African National Congress; Mkateko Isaac Mdaka of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and an independent candidate, Ntsako Samuel Baloyi.
The ward was previously represented by the African National Congress (ANC) and became vacant as a result of the death of the councillor, Mkhacani Phineas Maluleke, commonly known as Nwa Beku. According to the Independent Electoral Commission, the voter turn-out for this ward in the 2016 Municipal Elections was 49.99%.
Further by-elections will take place in ward 10 in the Polokwane Municipality. It will be contested by Tlou John Matlou of the ANC; Jonas Evans Mothapo of the EFF and Andries Matidi Makhafola of the Forum 4 Service Delivery.
The ward was previously represented by the ANC and became vacant as a result of the resignation of the councillor. The voter turnout for this ward in the 2016 Municipal Elections was 55.72%
Fifteen municipal ward by-elections will take place in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape, on Wednesday.
The by-elections are being contested by 66 candidates representing 16 political parties and two independent candidates. Voting will take place at voting stations in the relevant wards from 7am to 9pm.
Voting hours for Mbhashe Municipality Ward 17 as well as Port St Johns Municipality Ward 7 in the Eastern Cape by-elections will be from 7am to 9pm.
Government has established the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Elections to ensure a smooth run-up in preparation for the August 3 local government elections.
The IMC is made up of CoGTA and the Departments of Communications, Home Affairs, Police Services, Defence and Military Veterans, State Security, as well as the Presidency, the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) and the IEC. - SAnews.gov.za
