They make decisions which affect residents’ daily lives and if you are not happy with some of the choices your ward councillors have made, August will present another opportunity to sweep clean.
Residents will take to the polls again to elect the councillors, both ward and proportional, who will represent their interests at sub-council meetings. Monday and Tuesday August 1 and 2 are special voting days and the registration for special votes closes tomorrow, Friday July 8.
The aged, severely ill, pregnant women and those who are not able to vote on Wednesday August 3, can apply for a special vote online, by SMS or at the local IEC office by submitting a MEC35 form. Someone else may deliver your form if need be.
SMS registration only applies to special votes at voting stations so it is not the recommended method for those who are too ill to go to a station. To register SMS your ID Number to 32249, at the cost of R1.
Once registered, the applicant should receive a confirmation SMS but failing that you can check the status of your application online.
There are 19 candidates on the ward councillor ballot list for Ward 72 (Elfindale, Heathfield and Southfield).
Among those only seven are campaigning in that ward only. They are Khalid Arieff for the Africa Muslim Party, Cecile Galant for the African National Congress, Kevin Southgate of the Democratic Alliance, Siphiwo Ntabeni for the Economic Freedom Fighters, Nazeem Arnold for the Khoisan Kingdom and All People, Keysha Frieslaar of the Patriotic Alliance and Kulsum Brown of Sizwe Ummah Nation.
Candidates for all the other parties are campaigning in multiple wards, scattered across the metro, while Michelle Calitz is the National People’s Party’s sole proportional candidate as well as campaigning in all 116 wards in the City.
The Bulletin spoke to ward candidate for re-election, Mr Southgate, about what the challenges of Ward 72 were.
“The challenges in the ward relate to the lack of maintenance of the water bodies, cable theft, crime, lack of by-law and traffic enforcement, illegal dumping, street sweeping and traffic calming,” he said.
The ward has not been without improvement for the past five years, with upgrades having been undertaken at sports facilities and parks, he said.
The other candidates for Ward 72 are:
* African Christian Democratic Party – Patricia Arendse
* Al Jama-Ah – Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks
* Al Shura Party – Mariam Rhyneveldt
* Cape Muslim Congress – Mogamat Adams
* Cape Party/ Kaapse Party – Jack Miller
* Coloured Voice – Stuart Macranas
* Congress Of The People – Shehnaz Cassim-Moosa
* Independent Civic Organisation Of South Africa – Fatima Davids
* National Party South Africa – Heather Malcomess-Featherstone
* Pan Africanist Congress Of Azania – Charmaine Biko
* Vryheidsfront Plus – George van Neel
For more information about the elections visit www.elections.org.za
