GANSBAAI – The names of candidates nominated for the by-elections in the Western Cape on 26 November 2014 were made available on Friday.
The candidates for Ward 2, Gansbaai, are Riana de Coning, DA, a learning support educationalist, and Juan Lewis, ANC, a shop steward of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu).
Spokespersons for the ANC and DA confirmed the nominations of the candidates after they were approached by Sapa’s correspondent for the Overberg. However, Coenie Groenewald, Municipal Electoral Officer for Overstrand, said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will only be publishing the official list on 13 November 2014.
Four wards will be contested, one in the Theewaterskloof and three in the Greater Hermanus area. The by-elections follow after the death of an ANC councillor in Zwehile, Hermanus and the rest after DA-representatives handed in their resignations.
Dudley Coetzee, DA regional organiser for the Greater Hermanus area confirmed that his party nominated David Botha, a retired engineer and former Executive Director of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, as the candidate for Ward 7, Sandbaai. He also confirmed that De Coning will be the candidate in Gansbaai.
Themba Tebele, ANC regional secretary, said the ward would not be contested as the DA margin in the previous election was too high.
Coetzee quoted the same reason for not nominating anyone for Ward 5, Zwehile, stating that the ANC margin in their previous election was too high to justify participation.
Tebele said Sicelo Gxamesi, a deputy president of the South African Students Congress, would represent the ANC to face up against Samuel Nywhebe of the EFF, a taxi owner and driver. It is the first time the ANC will have to contest a ward against the EFF in this area, Tebele said.
The by-elections in the Greater Hermanus area follow after the passing away of ANC councillor Nzaneni Mshenxiswa and the resignation of DA councillors Pieter Scholtz, and Ben Solomon.
The controversy surrounding Ward 11, Grabouw, is set to continue as Merencia Gillian, ANC MPL for the Overberg, said they remain critical about the IEC role in the ward. “We still believe there are more than 600 voters that are registered to vote in Ward 11 but who are not living there. We plan to negotiate with the IEC and the DA to exclude those 600 voters,” Gillian said. The DA won the ward by 103 votes in another by-election in April 2012.
The Ward 11 candidates are: Lydia Matomela, DA, described by her party as “a housewife who does a lot of community work almost on a daily basis”, Enrico Oosthuizen, ANC, a maths tutor and youth leader, and Majelo Simbongile, UDM, this being the first time the UDM is taking part in a by-election in this ward.
The Ward 11 by-election was triggered by the resignation of DA councillor Mark Mathews.
