By-elections for Mthonjaneni

MTHONJANENI Municipality is preparing for by-elections scheduled for Wednesday, 17 September in Ward 5.

In this ward, during the 2011 Municipal Elections, the African National Congress (ANC) received 52.35% of the votes, while the Inkatha Freedonm Party managed 38.08% and the National Freedom Party 8.29%

The other parties which contested the ward were the African Christian Democratic Party with 0.46%, the Democratic Alliance with 0.76% and the Vryheidsfront Plus with 0.06%

But while there is strong campaigning in the area, the IFP is crying foul, accusing the ANC of opportunistic ‘service delivery’ that takes place in wards that will soon have by-elections.

The party has challenged the KZN Premier, Senzo Mchunu to name the departments that have been assigned to these wards, especially in the Mthonjaneni Municipality.

There needs to be full disclosure on exactly how much has been budgeted for these so-called ‘service delivery’ projects from provincial department funds.

The IFP Leader in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Blessed Gwala said, ‘The IFP’s question stems from reports that certain MECs and the

Premier will be flocking to the Mthonjaneni Municipality under the guise of ‘delivering services to the people.’

He says this is a clear indication that the ANC is using taxpayer’s money to campaign for elections under the guise of service delivery, hoping that those communities could be fooled into voting for the ruling party,

He said, ‘We are also concerned about the tendency of the Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, who is consistently visiting wards whenever a by-election is to take place.

‘Recently she has also visited Mthonjaneni and again was distributing food parcels.

‘The Minister is also trying to justify this abuse of public money to attempt to buy votes by calling it ‘a poverty relief intervention’.

‘We are not against service delivery as that is the job of government, but service delivery must continue on an ongoing basis in all communities and not only when there is a by-election,’ said Gwala.