JOHANNESBURG: Residents in an informal settlement in Tlokwe in North West chased away a high- profile ANC delegation led by party deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa after accusing the ruling party of using them as voting pawns. Ramaphosa was accompanied by ANC North West provincial chairman Supra Mahumapelo when they were confronted by angry residents who accused the ANC of only visiting them to get their votes. The ANC deputy president was in the area to campaign for votes in ward 26 – ahead of the local government by-elections in the area on September 18. Nine wards became vacant in July after ANC and DA councillors passed a motion of no confidence in Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle. The ANC expelled 14 of those councillors but their membership was later reinstated after the North West ANC was found to have failed to follow the proper code of conduct when they disciplined them. However, none of the expelled councillors were included in the list of those on an ANC ticket. This prompted some among them such as Stone Mahlabe to stand as independent candidates against the ANC. This was the reason that Ramaphosa was deployed to ward 26, the powerbase of Mahlabe. A group of men, women and schoolchildren broke into song when Mahumapelo was trying to make arrangements for Ramaphosa to speak. He got out of the car and spoke briefly to some people but was later whisked away when the crowds started to become rowdy. Some of them produced Mahlabe’s election pamphlets and showed them to Ramaphosa’s entourage in a clear demonstration that they were opposed to their visit to the area. Residents also protested against the alleged presence of officials of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in the ANC entourage. Ntshepeng Ranosi was among a group of residents who vented their anger at SASSA officials. “We know those officials. They did door-to-doors last week. They took our fingerprints and ID numbers saying they will be providing us with food hampers. They did not have their name tags with them. Now, the very same guys are here and this time they are wearing ANC regalia. “Why should the ANC use Sassa officials to campaign for them?” Ranosi asked. This was the feeling among most of the residents. Some had been living in this informal settlement for more than 10 years but were adamant that the only time they get visits from municipal officials and politicians was during election time. “I doubt that the ANC mayor Maphetle Maphetle know whether this settlement exists,” Absalom Madihe said. “Oom Stone (Mahlabe) was a councillor for us. He is a hardworking person who is easily accessible. People in this area even do not know Maphetle Maphetle. We want to see Oom Stone becoming our councillor. “We had no water and toilets for many years. It was through Oom Stone’s efforts that these two communal taps where installed for us,” Madihe said. In ward 4, the ANC candidate- elect, Matlhomola Alfred Seobi, was accompanied by Sassa officials in his door-to-door campaign but his elections manager Jimmy Msindi said his candidate was free to interact with whoever he wanted to. ANC candidate-elect in ward 26 Oupa Mogoshane – who is challenging Mahlabe – described the protesters as a “group of drunkards who were seeking media attention.” The DA in Tlokwe – who are also contesting the by-elections have accused Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini of planning to spend between R3 million and R5m to distribute food parcels ahead of the elections. DA provincial leader Chris Hattingh said Dlamini was aiming to win votes for the ANC.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 05:21:06 +0000
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