‘New kids on the block’ take on big guns in by-elections

Two groupings, Save Madibeng in the North West and the Organic Humanity Movement in Johannesburg, are fielding candidates in Wednesday’s municipal by-elections in the hope of challenging established political parties.

Five by-elections are taking place in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the North West involving 15 candidates.

Save Madibeng will be represented by Boy-Boy Prince Mpaane in ward 25, while Matthew Pienaar will be the face of the Organic Humanity Movement in Joburg’s 102 ward.

Both parties contested the 2021 local elections with varying success.

Save Madibeng, after launching in 2020, garnered three seats in Madibeng municipality and one in the Bojanala district.

The ward 25 by-election comes after the death of an ANC councillor earlier this year. According to the IEC, the voter turnout at the last local elections was 39.41%. It covers Bokfontein as well as parts of Bapong and Brits.

“That’s an area where we have a strong groundswell of support, so we decided to contest it,” Save Madibeng leader Sydney Monnakgotla told TimesLIVE.

He said residents in parts of Bapong within the ward have had to survive without water or electricity for years.

“People there feel that they have been neglected for a long time and many are disillusioned with the ruling party.” 

Monnakgotla said, while they were registered as a political party, Save Madibeng’s “character remains that of a civic movement”.

“We don’t subscribe to any ideology, ours is service delivery. If there is money that is allocated to construct a road, that money must do that. That is our duty, to hold the executive accountable.

“The movement is growing ... in 2021 we put up a very good campaign, hence the people actually saw us as an alternative to the ANC.

“Despite us being the new kid on the block, many people could see that we could bring change, but because we were new, it was difficult for them to trust new things.”

Monnakgotla said the plan was to continue establishing themselves in the municipality, with the target of eventually assuming control to fix an array of issues affecting residents.

This includes water and electricity supply.  Monnakgotla said they also want to resolve the issue of mushrooming informal settlements and remove unqualified people from critical municipal posts.

In Joburg, the goals and aspirations of Pienaar differ significantly. For him and the new party, the aim is to get exposure and appeal to more voters.

The ward where he is contesting was previously held by the DA but became vacant after the councillor’s resignation. It includes parts of Blairgowrie, Bryanston and Ferndale, with a voter turnout of 53.62% in the last elections.

“You don’t get too many chances to get exposure and get your name out there. There’s an opportunity to do that in this election,” Pienaar said.

“The area is right next to mine so it’s a good chance to launch a campaign here. There’s a lot we can contribute from a local government perspective,” he said. Among these are tackling “exorbitant” rates and taxes and curbing overspending by local government. 

“A lot of local municipalities are in a lot of debt at the moment, so we want to be fiscally conservative, because government debt at any level is hampering service delivery. We want to get that back on track,” he said.

The party, which was registered with the IEC in 2018 and has a presence in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, wants less government influence in society.

“We’re trying to get the government out of people’s lives, there’s too much involvement from politicians and government structures. We want to help people become self-reliant and live more independently,” he said.

“We need cultural change in South Africa and ask people to develop skills that will help them become self-reliant. Whether that is being able to grow your own food or soft skills to help you get a job or start your own business. Little things like that where we want to help people.”

UPDATE AUGUST 24: Election analyst Wayne Sussman shared the outcomes:

Ward 102 in Johannesburg: DA 94% (71%) ANC 3% (7%) EFF 2% (4%) OHM 1% (<1%). Poll: 17% (52%).

Ward 25 (Bapong Bokfontein) Madibeng in Bojanala in the NW: ANC 67% (46%) EFF 30% (24%) Save Madibeng 3% (3%). Poll 33% (39%).

TimesLIVE